Yeah I'm talkin' to you. All you wonderful people out there. Today is the big day, not for me but for an author just as epic. You all know and love her, you've read her stories countless times, my homie-G-Funk...KITTEN2010!
Yes that's right, today is the big day for my dearest friend Kitten2010. Her book Hero is out today, and I demand you all go buy a copy of her wonderful book, because it (though I haven't read it cuz I'm a poor problem child ._.) is amazing. I've read snippets of it and it was the bombdiggity. I can talk how I want leave me alone.
It would mean a lot to me if you would support her, cuz she's super nervous and we all need to give her a confidence boost otherwise you'll anger the writing gods.
So go out and get yourself a copy of her fantastic book 'Hero' so that we love you more. You wont regret it.
http://khwkitten2010.blogspot.com/2012/06/release-day-hero.html?zx=a34cb6150224c969
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Arlo Ch.02
My longest chapter since posting on the blog. I started realizing that in the rush to get my stories out there, they've only been about ten pages (About one Literotica page) This one is sixteen pages (two Literotica pages) and I'll try to keep my future stories to that length since I know it's a pain when you want more of something but you're only given a little bit.
Also, from now on I'm going to try a new system. Since I have two stories going at a time, I'm going to try and post one chapter of each every week. (Collaboration stories don't count since I have to work with Kitten2010's schedule too) Mondays will be story one (Arlo) and Fridays will be Story two (mystery story as of right now.) I can't promise I'll post this Friday since I haven't even started the damn thing yet, but once I do I'll try and keep it consecutive. This is just a test to see if I can post two stories a week, I may have to change it based on my schedule.
UNEDITED
Arlo sighed as he set down the clipboard. He rolled his neck lazily. The bruises from Donovan’s last beatings had begun to fade, but he still had to wear make up. In a few days they would be gone and he would be back to normal. But right now, his neck still hurt. He would kill someone for a massage and a glass of wine. Arlo shook his head. He knew he had to keep thoughts like that away.
He had met Donovan when he was in med school. Donovan had been studying to be a doctor too, but ended up dropping out and opened up his own hardware store. The pay wasn’t great, but it took care of a bill or two. They had been in love at first sight, and started dating. The first year was great. They were happy and in love. But when Donovan started drinking to cope with the stress of running his own business, Arlo followed. Soon they lost their apartment, Donovan almost lost the store. Arlo was about to be kicked out of school. All because of their drinking. Arlo finally admitted he needed help, and joined a twelve step program. It was hard, but eventually he was sober. Donovan followed close behind, after Arlo threatened to leave him. It was hard enough to quit drinking, it was even harder when your lover brought home bottle after bottle, reeking of the stuff.
They were both sober for three months, before Donovan began slipping back into his old ways. He became violent when Arlo would get upset. Or even when Arlo was just in the room. That’s when the abuse started. Arlo was forced to choose between his health, and his boyfriend. After telling Donovan he had to choose between Arlo and the booze, Donovan caved again. It was an ongoing circle. Donovan would be sober for a few months, and then everything would go back to the way it was. Arlo hated it, but how could he bring himself to leave someone he loved so much? With another sigh, he returned to the front desk of the E.R. to see what else had popped up.
“Ronda, anything new come in?” He asked, looking at a clipboard.
“Something new, alright.” The nurse seemed distracted.
“What are you...Officer Hud- Erm...Jake.” Arlo quickly corrected himself.
“Hey, Doc.” The man winked. “Ronda.” He nodded at the older woman, who fanned herself and walked away.
“WHat are you doing here?” Arlo asked, trying to hide the smile that begged to cross his face. Their date had gone wonderfully, whenever Arlo could keep from thinking about what he was doing to Donovan.
“I thought I would bring you some lunch. You’re looking a little pale.” Jake laughed.
“Am I? Ugh, I didn’t get a lot of sleep.” Arlo blushed, embarrassed about his dishevled state.
“It’s okay, everyone has those days. Can you take a break and come eat?” Jake asked, holding up a generic brown paper bag.
“Uh...well...” Arlo began looking through the clipboard filled with patients that had just come in. “I-”
“Yes, he can.” Ronda said, snatching the board from Arlo’s hands with a raised eyebrow.
“I think that’s a yes.” Arlo laughed. Jake smiled, and Arlo walked around the counter to meet him.
“Know anywhere good to sit?” Jake asked.
“There’s a beautiful park across the street, let’s go over there.” Arlo smiled.
“Sounds good.” Jake said. They picked a nice clean picnic table and sat down in the bright sun.
“So, what’s on the menu?” Arlo tried to peak inside the bag, but Jake moved it out of his view.
“For the main course, we have tuna sandwiches, with a side of doritos and for dessert, a chocolate ghirardelli square. And for your beverage tonight, a nice cold budweiser.” Jake said, in a bad french accent. Arlo smiled as Jake pulled out each item, until he got to the last. He bit his lip, and silently grabbed his own share of food. He began eating silently, trying to keep his eyes off of the glistening beer.
“This is good.” He nodded. He didn’t usually like tuna, but Jake made them taste different.
“Something the matter, Doc?” Jake raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Arlo shook his head, not wanting to make Jake feel like he did something wrong.
“Come on, tell me Doc.” Jake pouted.
“...Uh...well...It’s just that I’m a recovering alcoholic.” Arlo admitted, blushing. He had never gotten used to saying the words.
“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” Jake said, looking like a puppy who had peed in the corner.
“No. no. It’s fine.” Arlo shook his head.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything. I just didn’t think about it.” Jake said, apologizing.
“I said it’s fine. It was just a simple mistake, no harm done.” Arlo smiled, putting his hand on Jakes.
“Okay...Sorry...Again.” Jake blushed. It was strange seeing the big man so awkward. Arlo smiled, and they went back to eating in silence. The silence wasn’t as awkward as Arlo thought it would be. It was kind of peaceful. “If you don’t mind my asking...how long have you been sober?” Jake asked. Arlo swallowed his bite and smiled.
“I don’t mind. It will be five years in a few weeks.” Arlo said, proud of how long he had gone without a drink.
“Wow. That’s impressive.” Jake smiled.
“Yeah..I started drinking when I first started med school, with a boyfriend.” Arlo said, thinking of Donovan made him feel guilty. “It was just so hard to stop and before I knew it I really had a problem. I guess the thing that really made me pull my head out of my ass was when I was almost kicked out of med school. I didn’t want to end up one of those losers you see on cops, passed out in some abandoned building with no clothes on.” Arlo laughed.
“Yeah, I don’t want to be the asshole Cop who has to arrest you and find you some pants.” Jake laughed. They shared the laugh together, and Arlo couldn’t help but smile when the big man smiled. He was so much bigger than Arlo, but so sweet. Arlo felt a twinge of something in his heart. Something he hadn’t felt from Donovan in a long time.
“Lunch was fun yesterday, by the way. I don’t think I ever thanked you.” Arlo smiled, smoothing pants out nervously.
“Yeah, I had a good time. Just like I am right now. Maybe...maybe we can make this a regular thing...” Jake hinted.
“Way to slide that in there.” Arlo rolled his eyes. Jake blushed and took a small bite out of his chocolate square. “I....” Arlo was about to accept, when he thought of Donovan again. Could he really do this? Cheat on his boyfriend? When he accepted the first date, that was different. It could have been just a lunch date between friends, a way for a patient to say thank you to the Doctor. It was only a test, to see what it felt like to be cared for. To be treated sweetly. But now....Accepting Jake’s offer for a long term boyfriend...That was different. Arlo would be going into this knowing he was lying to both of them. He would be a cheater.
As all of this crossed his mind, he stared into the deep eyes of Jake. The man looked at him so sweetly, and with a soft smile. He was a nice man, and a cop at that. All he wanted to do was help people, just like Arlo. He treated him to lunch, and came to check in at him at work with another lunch date. Donovan never took him out, or made him lunch. When Jake touched him, it was gently with light strokes and small squeezes. When Jake laughed, it was with him and not at him.
“I would love that.” Arlo said. His mouth spoke the words while his brain still thought it through. He hated himself, and loved himself all at the same time. How could he do this to Donovan? Cheat on him. But how could he not do this? He deserved someone who treated him well, and he knew it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arlo got home late. His phone had died at work, and he had tried the house phone but recieved no answer. He stepped inside the door nervously, and was relieved when he saw Donovan was asleep. He stripped down, and crawled into bed. Donovan stirred.
“Work keep you?” He mumbled through the deep sleep he had awoken from.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. Did you eat?” Arlo asked.
“Yeah, I ordered in.” Donovan said. He rolled over, and pulled Arlo close to him. Arlo smiled and buried his head in his chest. Donovan was sweet when he wanted to be. It felt good to be cuddled by the bigger man. Arlo kissed Donovan’s chin gently and shut his eyes, falling asleep in minutes.
The next morning Arlo made breakfast. Donovan woke up about half an hour after Arlo had. He sat down at the table, and Arlo set a big plate of pancakes before him.
“Thank you, baby.” Donovan grabbed his chin and pulled him down for a kiss. Arlo smiled and moved to grab him a cup of juice.
“What are your plans today?” Donovan asked.
“I think I’m just going to stay at home, clean up a little bit.” Arlo said. He swallowed a bite of pancakes and was pleased when his throat didn’t throb with pain.
“Alright, maybe we can go see a movie or something when I get off work.” Donovan said.
“That would be nice.” Arlo smiled. A date with Donovan sounded like the perfect. After breakfast, Donovan left for work. Arlo had just finished the dishes when the phone rang. He rushed to find the cordless phone, and picked it up on the fourth ring.
“Hello?” He answered.
“Hey, Doc.” Jake greeted him on the other end.
“Hi!” Arlo cleared his throat, trying to hide his excitement. Jake chuckled.
“I was wondering if you wanted to do lunch today?” Jake asked.
“Yeah! I would love to!” Arlo smiled, he thought for a moment. “What about if you come over here. I could make something.” He offered.
“Sounds great.” He could practically hear his smile over the phone. “I’ll be there in a few hours.” Jake said.
“Okay!” They said goodbye, and hung up. Arlo cursed himself for sounding so excited. He felt like a little schoolgirl who had a crush. He quickly jumped in the shower, coming out smelling fresh and clean. He threw on a pair of nice black jeans, and a blue top. He left his hair disheveled from the towel drying. He looked at his watch, and realized it had only been half an hour. He needed to think of what to do for lunch. He smiled, and grabbed the keys to his car.
~~~~~~~~~~~
He decided not to make lunch, but to wait for Jake. He had bought everything they would need to make pizza, and had spread it out on the counter. The dough was made and was resting, just waiting for someone to stretch and roll it into the flat piece that would be used for their pizzas. He had just finished admiring the fixings, when there was a knock on the door. He brushed the flour off his hands, and couldn’t help but jog to go answer it.
“Hey, Doc.” Jake winked.
“Hey, hope you’re hungry.” Arlo smiled.
“Starved.” Jake followed him into the kitchen.
“Thought we would do homemade pizzas.” Arlo laughed and walked over to the counter.
“Man, I just made a tuna sandwich...” Jake laughed nervously.
“It was good. I’m no five star chef, I just like to cook.” Arlo shrugged.
“This looks awesome.” Jake said. “Can we get started?” He asked, eagerly. Arlo nodded, and pulled out the dough. In a few minutes, they had two perfect pepperoni pizzas ready to bake. Jake had added sausage and peppers, while Arlo added mushrooms and canadian bacon. They put them in the oven, and sat down.
“You know, these are great. But there is one thing they need.” Jake said.
“And what’s that?” Arlo asked, thinking he had bought everything in the store already. Jake smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~
After the pizzas had baked, Jake made Arlo carry them in the car, until they got to their destination.
“You still haven’t told me where we’re going. We just passed the store.” Arlo frowned.
“No no no, for this special ingredient, you can't just buy it at a store, it’s not the same.” Jake shook his head.
“Okay...Where are we going then?” Arlo asked.
“You’ll see.” Jake kept his eyes on the road. Arlo rolled his eyes and looked out the window for the rest of the short drive. “We’re here.” Jake said, and stopped the car.
“Seriously?” Arlo frowned. They were parked in front of a small gas station.
“Seriously.” Jake confirmed, and stepped out of the car. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.” Jake said, after Arlo climbed out of the truck. Arlo sat on the curb, pizzas close by. Jake disappeared into the gas station for a minute, before coming back out with a small plastic bag. He sat down on the curb next to Arlo, and opened the bag.
“On your pizza? You’re disgusting!” Arlo laughed at the two bags of gummy worms.
“It’s good! Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.” He sprinkled a heavy handful of worms onto his pizza. He put the one empty bag down, and picked up a slice of the pizza they had cut at home. He groaned with satisfaction and took another bite. He raised an eyebrow at Arlo with a smile. Arlo rolled his eyes and grabbed the other bag of gummy worms on the other side of Jake. He opened it and hesitated, before emptying the bag on his pizza. “Now we’re talkin, Doc!” Jake cheered. Arlo grabbed a slice, and took a bite. He chewed for a moment, before nodding and swallowing.
“Alright. It’s probably going to give me heart problems, but it’s delicious.” Arlo laughed, trying to keep a gummy worm from falling out of his mouth.
“See! Come on, Doc. It’s fun.” Jake chuckled. “Not everything has to be so....boring.” Jake laughed. Arlo laughed with him, and after a few moments, they finally began to settle down.
“So tell me about your job, Jake. Do you like being a cop?” Arlo asked, picking up his second piece of pizza.
“I love it. I love helping people. Honestly though, this is the first time I’ve gotten hurt.” Jake waved his arm.
“Really? We get cops in the hospital all the time.” Arlo said.
“Yeah, I guess I’ve just got a guardian angel looking out for me.” Jake smiled. Arlo couldn’t help but laugh a little. “What? You don’t believe in angels, Doc?”
“No, I don’t.” Arlo said. They both teased, not really caring about the conversation, just talking for the sake of getting to know each other.
“Why not?” Jake asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve got no reason to.” Arlo shrugged.
“You’ve got no reason not to.” Jake pointed out. Arlo thought for a second.
“People use God and religion and angels and the like to give them a reason to be a good person, and to have something to believe in, they use it for comfort.” Arlo began, thoughtfully. “I don’t need a group of people and an all powerful being to make me a good person. It’s like saying you didn’t steal a car because a cop was watching. You’re still a bad person for wanting to steal it.” Arlo said. “I’m capable of being a good person on my own, and I don’t need some fairy tale to make me feel better at night.” Arlo said.
“I suppose you're right... But how do you know for sure there isn’t a God?” Jake asked.
“I don’t. But if I’m wrong, he’ll still love me anyways right? If god is really all loving and all powerful, then why do people have to worship him? Last time I checked you don’t worship somebody who’s all loving, and if he is all powerful than why is there so much suffering in the world?” Arlo asked.
“Haven’t you ever heard that god works in mysterious ways?” Jake asked.
“Have you ever dealt with a murderer? Couldn’t he just say he works in mysterious ways?” Arlo raised an eyebrow. Jake stared at him thoughtfully for a moment.
“I guess you’ve got a point there.” He laughed. Arlo chuckled and looked down at the pizza that sat in his lap. “Hey, what happened?” Jake frowned, and moved Arlo’s collar down. In his rush to get ready, Arlo had forgotten to put on make up.
“Oh, it’s nothing...” Arlo blushed, and pulled his collar back up. “Uh...Just a patient got a little out of hand the other day.” He said, when Jake gave him a look.
“Really? Wow, I didn’t realize being a doctor was so dangerous. Are you okay?” Jake asked.
“Yeah, just a little sore.” Arlo dismissed it and stood. “Come on, it’s getting cold out here.” Arlo smiled as they headed back to the truck. Jake wrapped his arm around his shoulders during the short walk, before being forced to separate by the truck's hood. Once they got back in, he let his hand rest on Arlo’s leg.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arlo waved out the window as Jake drove off. Once the man left, he hugged his arms to his chest and began giggling. The date had been more fun than anything in his entire life. Jake was so nice, and warm. They joked and laughed, even about serious subjects. They were always having fun. Jake had looked like he wanted to kiss him so bad, and Arlo was going to let him, but then he thought about Donovan. At the thought of Donovan, he dug into his pocket for his phone.
Donovan: Hey wat u up to?
Donovan: Too busy to answer me?
Donovan: Babe, want to go out for lunch?
Donovan: Helloooo?
Donovan: I’ll take that as a no...
Donovan: Wtf Arlo
Donovan: Well fuck you too.
Arlo sighed and put the phone back in his pocket. He had muted the damn thing during his lunch date with Jake. He didn’t want to be interrupted. Now that he had thought about it. That probably wasn’t the greatest idea...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arlo was lying in bed quietly, listening to the quiet sound of rain and thunder. His head was turned towards their bedroom window. The rain was hitting the glass softly, and he found the sound oddly comforting. The comfort was shattered when he heard the front door open. He hadn’t heard Donovan’s car pull up through the rain. The heavy footsteps were a dead giveaway that he had been drinking. Arlo sighed, and turned his head to the doorway. He watched the distorted shadow of Donovan in the kitchen. It wasn’t until he saw the bottle in his hand that he finally moved. Arlo swung his legs over the bed, and grabbed his jeans, slipping them on quickly.
“Where da fuck you goin’?” Donovan slurred.
“Somewhere not here. You know I won't be around alcohol.” Arlo said.
“Come on. Just fucking sit down and have a drink.” Donovan slurred again, as Arlo pulled on a hoodie.
“No, Donovan. I can’t stand the fact that you’re drinking again, but I won't let you pull me back into that.” Arlo shook his head.
“Fuck you, Arlo. Like you’re better than me?” Donovan stood up, pointed and waving with the hand that held the bottle.
“Well, right now I am. Maybe if you would come home sober that would be different.” Arlo spat, and stood, forgetting about shoes. He grabbed his keys and headed for the door.
“Fuck you! You’re not going anywhere.” Donovan said, pushing Arlo back.”
“Let me go, Donovan.” Arlo snapped.
“Fuck you!” Donovan said, as if those two were the only words in his dictionary. He snatched the keys from Arlo’s hand. “Have a drink.” He held forward the bottle. Arlo eyed the mystery bottle, before pushing it away.
“Just stop.” He said, and left Donovan with the keys. He headed out the door, and began walking down the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jake drove around the slick streets slowly. He hated working nights, he loved sleep too much. But someone had to do it, right? The downtown area was usually busy at this time of night, but because of the rain it was mostly clear. A few clubs seemed busy, but there was nobody outside waiting in line. Instead, they were either crammed inside, or they just gave up and went home, not wanting to stand in the rain. A few restaurants were still open, but mostly just small diners and dives. The most lights he saw were from bars. They were filled up, with rows of people sitting in booths and at the counters, eagerly awaiting their drink to wash away their troubles.
A few liquor stores were open, and a gas station here and there, but for the most part everything was dark. It was too cold and too late to be out on the streets.
‘So why the fuck am I out here?’ Jake thought to himself. He knew there wouldn’t really be anything going on out here. It was too small of a town for any serious crimes. Suddenly, the radio crackled to life.
“55, we got a 415 at 1679 Blake.” The dispatcher came over the radio.
“Check, dispatch. On my way.” Jake responded. 415 was a simple disturbance complaint, probably made by a citizen. He turned the corner and began cruising down Blake street. The street was as empty as all of the others, and for a while Jake thought about calling dispatch back to double check the address, but then he was the man standing in the middle of the sidewalk. He wasn’t really doing anything, but sitting in the rain. He was staring at the one open bar on the street. He was wearing soaked jeans and a maroon sweatshirt. His hair had been matted to his forehead and he didn’t have any shoes on. Jake cruised up to the man and stopped.
“Hey! Are you alright?” He called out. The man looked a little off, just staring at a bar. The man turned his head a bit to look at Jake, before seeming to sigh.
“Sorry, officer.” He said, voice almost covered by the rain. He turned and began walking down the sidewalk with his bare feet. Something clicked in Jakes head and he pushed the cruiser forward, catching up with the man.
“Doc?” Jake called out. The man stopped and looked up, finally facing Jake. It was in fact Arlo. Jake swore and double parked the cruiser. He hopped out into the rain and jogged to meet the man on the sidewalk. “What the hell you doin’ out here, Doc?” Jake asked, quieter now that they were closer and he didn’t have to yell over the rain.
“Jake?” Arlo looked as confused as he did, and a bit worried.
“Yeah, it’s me. What the-...Come on lets get out of the rain.” Jake pushed Arlo towards the cruiser, and opened the passenger door for him. Arlo sat down, while Jake moved to the drivers side. He started the car, and drove off. “What the hell are you doing out there? It’s freezing and pouring out there.” Jake said, concerned.
“I couldn’t sleep, I wanted to go for a walk.” Arlo said, sounding distracted. Jake hesitated.
“You know, we haven’t really known each other for long...But if you need to talk......Uh...I just mean that...well you were standing outside a bar...I just want you to know that I’m here...uh...For you.” Jake stammered, looking awkward under Arlo’s gaze.
“Thanks, Jake.” Arlo said.
“No problem, Doc....” Jake said, and hesitated again. “So you just decided to go for a walk without any shoes on?” Jake asked. Arlo looked down at his feet, as if he just realized he wasn’t wearing shoes.
“Uh...Yeah.” It was a bold faced lie. Jake didn’t know what Arlo was hiding, but now wasn’t the time for questioning him.
“Well, I’ll take you home.” Jake said.
“No.” Arlo said, a little too quickly. Jake eyed him. “I mean...Just drop me off at a hotel or something. I don’t feel like being at home tonight.” Arlo said.
“A hotel? Don’t you live alone? Why don’t you want to be at home?” Jake asked.
“Uh...I just need a change of sceanery for a night or two. Motel 6 is fine.” Arlo said. Jake frowned and stared at him.
“Nah, Doc. I can't just drop you off at a hotel. You can stay at my place. I get off now, actually.” Jake said, looking at the clock.
“Really, Jake. You don’t have to do that.” Arlo shook his head.
“I’m not just going to drop you off at some scummy place, Doc. If you don’t want to go home that’s fine, but you’re not staying there.” Jake said, as they passed a motel 6. Arlo seemed to sigh.
“Okay...Thank you.” He said. Jake pulled into the police station.
“I just have to check the cruiser back in, go ahead and sit in the truck.” Jake said, and handed him the keys to the old beaten up truck. Arlo took them and waited with the heater on. Jake came in a few minutes later, out of uniform.
“I have to say, you do look pretty hot in the uniform.” Arlo smiled a little bit.
“Why thank you. That doctors coat makes you look pretty official, too.” Jake winked. Arlo laughed, and they joked as they drove to Jake’s home. “I hope you like dogs.” Jake said, as they climbed out of the truck and began walking up to his house.
“I love them.” Arlo smiled. As soon as Jake opened the door, a large black and white dog pounced on Arlo. He giggled as the dog peppered his face with kisses, before running off back into the house. Behind the door, waiting patiently for Jake was an older dog. The dog squinted lazily, wagging his tail slowly. Jake bent and kissed the dog, patting him on the head.
“Good boy, Bounder.” He said.
“That one is Bounder?” Arlo rolled his eyes, as the other dog ran in circles around the house, slipping and sliding on the hard wood floors.
“Yeah...The black one is Rocket.” Jake laughed. The dog, at the mention of his name, took off down a hallway. Somewhere in the distance, there was a loud crash as the poor pup ran into something. “She does that a lot.” Jake said.
“This is nice.” Arlo said. The house was spacious and clean, it smelled like bacon and dogs. Arlo found himself liking the smell. It smelled homey.
“Thanks...Here let me see if I can find you something.” Jake walked down the hall. Arlo followed him, looking around the house as he went. Jake walked into a small walk in closet and looked around for a second before pulling out some clothes. He handed Arlo the stack of clothing, a pair of sweats, a long sleeve T shirt, some socks, and a pair of boxers.
“Thank you.” Arlo said and smiled. They stood their awkwardly before Jake blushed.
“I’ll, uh....let you change.” He disappeared, closing the door to the room. Arlo laughed and began changing out of his wet clothes.
After he was in the warm, but much to large, clothing he ventured out to find jake. He found him in the living room, sipping some coffee.
“Hey, want a cup?” He asked.
“I’m not a big coffee fan.” Arlo declined. Jake laughed.
“Uh...This is a bit embarassing, but it’s not coffee. I’m a hot chocolate kind of guy, myself.” He smiled. Arlo laughed.
“Then I’ll gladly accept.” Arlo smiled. They sat there and chatted about nothing over their steaming cups of hot chocolate, until Arlo yawned and stretched. “I’d love to stay up with you, longer. But I have to be at work at six tomorrow.” Arlo said.
“Oh, right. It’s my day off I forgot you still have to work.” Jake laughed. “I can give you a ride in the morning.” He said.
“Thanks. So, I’ll just crash on the couch?” Arlo asked, after not seeing a guest bedroom.
“Well, yeah you could. I mean...if you wanted to. My bedroom is always open.” He blushed.
“Oh...” Arlo couldn’t deny that it did sound appealing. “I’d love to, Jake. But like I said, I have work tomorrow and-”
“I meant just as a place to sleep. We don’t have to do anything else.” Jake blushed harder. Arlo smiled.
“Okay.” He nodded. Jake led him back to his room, and stripped off his shirt before crawling into bed. Arlo decided to keep his on, but crawled in next to Jake. Without any hesitation, the big cop wrapped his arms around Arlo, and pulled him close to his chest. Arlo snuggled in, and wrapped his own arms around Jake. It was something that he and Donovan never did anymore. They didn’t fall asleep right away, they sat there and held each other. Jake didn’t know what was going on with Arlo, and Arlo didn’t know that Jake knew there was something wrong. But both of them put that aside and just enjoyed the company of another human being.
Also, from now on I'm going to try a new system. Since I have two stories going at a time, I'm going to try and post one chapter of each every week. (Collaboration stories don't count since I have to work with Kitten2010's schedule too) Mondays will be story one (Arlo) and Fridays will be Story two (mystery story as of right now.) I can't promise I'll post this Friday since I haven't even started the damn thing yet, but once I do I'll try and keep it consecutive. This is just a test to see if I can post two stories a week, I may have to change it based on my schedule.
UNEDITED
Arlo sighed as he set down the clipboard. He rolled his neck lazily. The bruises from Donovan’s last beatings had begun to fade, but he still had to wear make up. In a few days they would be gone and he would be back to normal. But right now, his neck still hurt. He would kill someone for a massage and a glass of wine. Arlo shook his head. He knew he had to keep thoughts like that away.
He had met Donovan when he was in med school. Donovan had been studying to be a doctor too, but ended up dropping out and opened up his own hardware store. The pay wasn’t great, but it took care of a bill or two. They had been in love at first sight, and started dating. The first year was great. They were happy and in love. But when Donovan started drinking to cope with the stress of running his own business, Arlo followed. Soon they lost their apartment, Donovan almost lost the store. Arlo was about to be kicked out of school. All because of their drinking. Arlo finally admitted he needed help, and joined a twelve step program. It was hard, but eventually he was sober. Donovan followed close behind, after Arlo threatened to leave him. It was hard enough to quit drinking, it was even harder when your lover brought home bottle after bottle, reeking of the stuff.
They were both sober for three months, before Donovan began slipping back into his old ways. He became violent when Arlo would get upset. Or even when Arlo was just in the room. That’s when the abuse started. Arlo was forced to choose between his health, and his boyfriend. After telling Donovan he had to choose between Arlo and the booze, Donovan caved again. It was an ongoing circle. Donovan would be sober for a few months, and then everything would go back to the way it was. Arlo hated it, but how could he bring himself to leave someone he loved so much? With another sigh, he returned to the front desk of the E.R. to see what else had popped up.
“Ronda, anything new come in?” He asked, looking at a clipboard.
“Something new, alright.” The nurse seemed distracted.
“What are you...Officer Hud- Erm...Jake.” Arlo quickly corrected himself.
“Hey, Doc.” The man winked. “Ronda.” He nodded at the older woman, who fanned herself and walked away.
“WHat are you doing here?” Arlo asked, trying to hide the smile that begged to cross his face. Their date had gone wonderfully, whenever Arlo could keep from thinking about what he was doing to Donovan.
“I thought I would bring you some lunch. You’re looking a little pale.” Jake laughed.
“Am I? Ugh, I didn’t get a lot of sleep.” Arlo blushed, embarrassed about his dishevled state.
“It’s okay, everyone has those days. Can you take a break and come eat?” Jake asked, holding up a generic brown paper bag.
“Uh...well...” Arlo began looking through the clipboard filled with patients that had just come in. “I-”
“Yes, he can.” Ronda said, snatching the board from Arlo’s hands with a raised eyebrow.
“I think that’s a yes.” Arlo laughed. Jake smiled, and Arlo walked around the counter to meet him.
“Know anywhere good to sit?” Jake asked.
“There’s a beautiful park across the street, let’s go over there.” Arlo smiled.
“Sounds good.” Jake said. They picked a nice clean picnic table and sat down in the bright sun.
“So, what’s on the menu?” Arlo tried to peak inside the bag, but Jake moved it out of his view.
“For the main course, we have tuna sandwiches, with a side of doritos and for dessert, a chocolate ghirardelli square. And for your beverage tonight, a nice cold budweiser.” Jake said, in a bad french accent. Arlo smiled as Jake pulled out each item, until he got to the last. He bit his lip, and silently grabbed his own share of food. He began eating silently, trying to keep his eyes off of the glistening beer.
“This is good.” He nodded. He didn’t usually like tuna, but Jake made them taste different.
“Something the matter, Doc?” Jake raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Arlo shook his head, not wanting to make Jake feel like he did something wrong.
“Come on, tell me Doc.” Jake pouted.
“...Uh...well...It’s just that I’m a recovering alcoholic.” Arlo admitted, blushing. He had never gotten used to saying the words.
“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” Jake said, looking like a puppy who had peed in the corner.
“No. no. It’s fine.” Arlo shook his head.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything. I just didn’t think about it.” Jake said, apologizing.
“I said it’s fine. It was just a simple mistake, no harm done.” Arlo smiled, putting his hand on Jakes.
“Okay...Sorry...Again.” Jake blushed. It was strange seeing the big man so awkward. Arlo smiled, and they went back to eating in silence. The silence wasn’t as awkward as Arlo thought it would be. It was kind of peaceful. “If you don’t mind my asking...how long have you been sober?” Jake asked. Arlo swallowed his bite and smiled.
“I don’t mind. It will be five years in a few weeks.” Arlo said, proud of how long he had gone without a drink.
“Wow. That’s impressive.” Jake smiled.
“Yeah..I started drinking when I first started med school, with a boyfriend.” Arlo said, thinking of Donovan made him feel guilty. “It was just so hard to stop and before I knew it I really had a problem. I guess the thing that really made me pull my head out of my ass was when I was almost kicked out of med school. I didn’t want to end up one of those losers you see on cops, passed out in some abandoned building with no clothes on.” Arlo laughed.
“Yeah, I don’t want to be the asshole Cop who has to arrest you and find you some pants.” Jake laughed. They shared the laugh together, and Arlo couldn’t help but smile when the big man smiled. He was so much bigger than Arlo, but so sweet. Arlo felt a twinge of something in his heart. Something he hadn’t felt from Donovan in a long time.
“Lunch was fun yesterday, by the way. I don’t think I ever thanked you.” Arlo smiled, smoothing pants out nervously.
“Yeah, I had a good time. Just like I am right now. Maybe...maybe we can make this a regular thing...” Jake hinted.
“Way to slide that in there.” Arlo rolled his eyes. Jake blushed and took a small bite out of his chocolate square. “I....” Arlo was about to accept, when he thought of Donovan again. Could he really do this? Cheat on his boyfriend? When he accepted the first date, that was different. It could have been just a lunch date between friends, a way for a patient to say thank you to the Doctor. It was only a test, to see what it felt like to be cared for. To be treated sweetly. But now....Accepting Jake’s offer for a long term boyfriend...That was different. Arlo would be going into this knowing he was lying to both of them. He would be a cheater.
As all of this crossed his mind, he stared into the deep eyes of Jake. The man looked at him so sweetly, and with a soft smile. He was a nice man, and a cop at that. All he wanted to do was help people, just like Arlo. He treated him to lunch, and came to check in at him at work with another lunch date. Donovan never took him out, or made him lunch. When Jake touched him, it was gently with light strokes and small squeezes. When Jake laughed, it was with him and not at him.
“I would love that.” Arlo said. His mouth spoke the words while his brain still thought it through. He hated himself, and loved himself all at the same time. How could he do this to Donovan? Cheat on him. But how could he not do this? He deserved someone who treated him well, and he knew it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arlo got home late. His phone had died at work, and he had tried the house phone but recieved no answer. He stepped inside the door nervously, and was relieved when he saw Donovan was asleep. He stripped down, and crawled into bed. Donovan stirred.
“Work keep you?” He mumbled through the deep sleep he had awoken from.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. Did you eat?” Arlo asked.
“Yeah, I ordered in.” Donovan said. He rolled over, and pulled Arlo close to him. Arlo smiled and buried his head in his chest. Donovan was sweet when he wanted to be. It felt good to be cuddled by the bigger man. Arlo kissed Donovan’s chin gently and shut his eyes, falling asleep in minutes.
The next morning Arlo made breakfast. Donovan woke up about half an hour after Arlo had. He sat down at the table, and Arlo set a big plate of pancakes before him.
“Thank you, baby.” Donovan grabbed his chin and pulled him down for a kiss. Arlo smiled and moved to grab him a cup of juice.
“What are your plans today?” Donovan asked.
“I think I’m just going to stay at home, clean up a little bit.” Arlo said. He swallowed a bite of pancakes and was pleased when his throat didn’t throb with pain.
“Alright, maybe we can go see a movie or something when I get off work.” Donovan said.
“That would be nice.” Arlo smiled. A date with Donovan sounded like the perfect. After breakfast, Donovan left for work. Arlo had just finished the dishes when the phone rang. He rushed to find the cordless phone, and picked it up on the fourth ring.
“Hello?” He answered.
“Hey, Doc.” Jake greeted him on the other end.
“Hi!” Arlo cleared his throat, trying to hide his excitement. Jake chuckled.
“I was wondering if you wanted to do lunch today?” Jake asked.
“Yeah! I would love to!” Arlo smiled, he thought for a moment. “What about if you come over here. I could make something.” He offered.
“Sounds great.” He could practically hear his smile over the phone. “I’ll be there in a few hours.” Jake said.
“Okay!” They said goodbye, and hung up. Arlo cursed himself for sounding so excited. He felt like a little schoolgirl who had a crush. He quickly jumped in the shower, coming out smelling fresh and clean. He threw on a pair of nice black jeans, and a blue top. He left his hair disheveled from the towel drying. He looked at his watch, and realized it had only been half an hour. He needed to think of what to do for lunch. He smiled, and grabbed the keys to his car.
~~~~~~~~~~~
He decided not to make lunch, but to wait for Jake. He had bought everything they would need to make pizza, and had spread it out on the counter. The dough was made and was resting, just waiting for someone to stretch and roll it into the flat piece that would be used for their pizzas. He had just finished admiring the fixings, when there was a knock on the door. He brushed the flour off his hands, and couldn’t help but jog to go answer it.
“Hey, Doc.” Jake winked.
“Hey, hope you’re hungry.” Arlo smiled.
“Starved.” Jake followed him into the kitchen.
“Thought we would do homemade pizzas.” Arlo laughed and walked over to the counter.
“Man, I just made a tuna sandwich...” Jake laughed nervously.
“It was good. I’m no five star chef, I just like to cook.” Arlo shrugged.
“This looks awesome.” Jake said. “Can we get started?” He asked, eagerly. Arlo nodded, and pulled out the dough. In a few minutes, they had two perfect pepperoni pizzas ready to bake. Jake had added sausage and peppers, while Arlo added mushrooms and canadian bacon. They put them in the oven, and sat down.
“You know, these are great. But there is one thing they need.” Jake said.
“And what’s that?” Arlo asked, thinking he had bought everything in the store already. Jake smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~
After the pizzas had baked, Jake made Arlo carry them in the car, until they got to their destination.
“You still haven’t told me where we’re going. We just passed the store.” Arlo frowned.
“No no no, for this special ingredient, you can't just buy it at a store, it’s not the same.” Jake shook his head.
“Okay...Where are we going then?” Arlo asked.
“You’ll see.” Jake kept his eyes on the road. Arlo rolled his eyes and looked out the window for the rest of the short drive. “We’re here.” Jake said, and stopped the car.
“Seriously?” Arlo frowned. They were parked in front of a small gas station.
“Seriously.” Jake confirmed, and stepped out of the car. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.” Jake said, after Arlo climbed out of the truck. Arlo sat on the curb, pizzas close by. Jake disappeared into the gas station for a minute, before coming back out with a small plastic bag. He sat down on the curb next to Arlo, and opened the bag.
“On your pizza? You’re disgusting!” Arlo laughed at the two bags of gummy worms.
“It’s good! Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.” He sprinkled a heavy handful of worms onto his pizza. He put the one empty bag down, and picked up a slice of the pizza they had cut at home. He groaned with satisfaction and took another bite. He raised an eyebrow at Arlo with a smile. Arlo rolled his eyes and grabbed the other bag of gummy worms on the other side of Jake. He opened it and hesitated, before emptying the bag on his pizza. “Now we’re talkin, Doc!” Jake cheered. Arlo grabbed a slice, and took a bite. He chewed for a moment, before nodding and swallowing.
“Alright. It’s probably going to give me heart problems, but it’s delicious.” Arlo laughed, trying to keep a gummy worm from falling out of his mouth.
“See! Come on, Doc. It’s fun.” Jake chuckled. “Not everything has to be so....boring.” Jake laughed. Arlo laughed with him, and after a few moments, they finally began to settle down.
“So tell me about your job, Jake. Do you like being a cop?” Arlo asked, picking up his second piece of pizza.
“I love it. I love helping people. Honestly though, this is the first time I’ve gotten hurt.” Jake waved his arm.
“Really? We get cops in the hospital all the time.” Arlo said.
“Yeah, I guess I’ve just got a guardian angel looking out for me.” Jake smiled. Arlo couldn’t help but laugh a little. “What? You don’t believe in angels, Doc?”
“No, I don’t.” Arlo said. They both teased, not really caring about the conversation, just talking for the sake of getting to know each other.
“Why not?” Jake asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve got no reason to.” Arlo shrugged.
“You’ve got no reason not to.” Jake pointed out. Arlo thought for a second.
“People use God and religion and angels and the like to give them a reason to be a good person, and to have something to believe in, they use it for comfort.” Arlo began, thoughtfully. “I don’t need a group of people and an all powerful being to make me a good person. It’s like saying you didn’t steal a car because a cop was watching. You’re still a bad person for wanting to steal it.” Arlo said. “I’m capable of being a good person on my own, and I don’t need some fairy tale to make me feel better at night.” Arlo said.
“I suppose you're right... But how do you know for sure there isn’t a God?” Jake asked.
“I don’t. But if I’m wrong, he’ll still love me anyways right? If god is really all loving and all powerful, then why do people have to worship him? Last time I checked you don’t worship somebody who’s all loving, and if he is all powerful than why is there so much suffering in the world?” Arlo asked.
“Haven’t you ever heard that god works in mysterious ways?” Jake asked.
“Have you ever dealt with a murderer? Couldn’t he just say he works in mysterious ways?” Arlo raised an eyebrow. Jake stared at him thoughtfully for a moment.
“I guess you’ve got a point there.” He laughed. Arlo chuckled and looked down at the pizza that sat in his lap. “Hey, what happened?” Jake frowned, and moved Arlo’s collar down. In his rush to get ready, Arlo had forgotten to put on make up.
“Oh, it’s nothing...” Arlo blushed, and pulled his collar back up. “Uh...Just a patient got a little out of hand the other day.” He said, when Jake gave him a look.
“Really? Wow, I didn’t realize being a doctor was so dangerous. Are you okay?” Jake asked.
“Yeah, just a little sore.” Arlo dismissed it and stood. “Come on, it’s getting cold out here.” Arlo smiled as they headed back to the truck. Jake wrapped his arm around his shoulders during the short walk, before being forced to separate by the truck's hood. Once they got back in, he let his hand rest on Arlo’s leg.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arlo waved out the window as Jake drove off. Once the man left, he hugged his arms to his chest and began giggling. The date had been more fun than anything in his entire life. Jake was so nice, and warm. They joked and laughed, even about serious subjects. They were always having fun. Jake had looked like he wanted to kiss him so bad, and Arlo was going to let him, but then he thought about Donovan. At the thought of Donovan, he dug into his pocket for his phone.
Donovan: Hey wat u up to?
Donovan: Too busy to answer me?
Donovan: Babe, want to go out for lunch?
Donovan: Helloooo?
Donovan: I’ll take that as a no...
Donovan: Wtf Arlo
Donovan: Well fuck you too.
Arlo sighed and put the phone back in his pocket. He had muted the damn thing during his lunch date with Jake. He didn’t want to be interrupted. Now that he had thought about it. That probably wasn’t the greatest idea...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arlo was lying in bed quietly, listening to the quiet sound of rain and thunder. His head was turned towards their bedroom window. The rain was hitting the glass softly, and he found the sound oddly comforting. The comfort was shattered when he heard the front door open. He hadn’t heard Donovan’s car pull up through the rain. The heavy footsteps were a dead giveaway that he had been drinking. Arlo sighed, and turned his head to the doorway. He watched the distorted shadow of Donovan in the kitchen. It wasn’t until he saw the bottle in his hand that he finally moved. Arlo swung his legs over the bed, and grabbed his jeans, slipping them on quickly.
“Where da fuck you goin’?” Donovan slurred.
“Somewhere not here. You know I won't be around alcohol.” Arlo said.
“Come on. Just fucking sit down and have a drink.” Donovan slurred again, as Arlo pulled on a hoodie.
“No, Donovan. I can’t stand the fact that you’re drinking again, but I won't let you pull me back into that.” Arlo shook his head.
“Fuck you, Arlo. Like you’re better than me?” Donovan stood up, pointed and waving with the hand that held the bottle.
“Well, right now I am. Maybe if you would come home sober that would be different.” Arlo spat, and stood, forgetting about shoes. He grabbed his keys and headed for the door.
“Fuck you! You’re not going anywhere.” Donovan said, pushing Arlo back.”
“Let me go, Donovan.” Arlo snapped.
“Fuck you!” Donovan said, as if those two were the only words in his dictionary. He snatched the keys from Arlo’s hand. “Have a drink.” He held forward the bottle. Arlo eyed the mystery bottle, before pushing it away.
“Just stop.” He said, and left Donovan with the keys. He headed out the door, and began walking down the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jake drove around the slick streets slowly. He hated working nights, he loved sleep too much. But someone had to do it, right? The downtown area was usually busy at this time of night, but because of the rain it was mostly clear. A few clubs seemed busy, but there was nobody outside waiting in line. Instead, they were either crammed inside, or they just gave up and went home, not wanting to stand in the rain. A few restaurants were still open, but mostly just small diners and dives. The most lights he saw were from bars. They were filled up, with rows of people sitting in booths and at the counters, eagerly awaiting their drink to wash away their troubles.
A few liquor stores were open, and a gas station here and there, but for the most part everything was dark. It was too cold and too late to be out on the streets.
‘So why the fuck am I out here?’ Jake thought to himself. He knew there wouldn’t really be anything going on out here. It was too small of a town for any serious crimes. Suddenly, the radio crackled to life.
“55, we got a 415 at 1679 Blake.” The dispatcher came over the radio.
“Check, dispatch. On my way.” Jake responded. 415 was a simple disturbance complaint, probably made by a citizen. He turned the corner and began cruising down Blake street. The street was as empty as all of the others, and for a while Jake thought about calling dispatch back to double check the address, but then he was the man standing in the middle of the sidewalk. He wasn’t really doing anything, but sitting in the rain. He was staring at the one open bar on the street. He was wearing soaked jeans and a maroon sweatshirt. His hair had been matted to his forehead and he didn’t have any shoes on. Jake cruised up to the man and stopped.
“Hey! Are you alright?” He called out. The man looked a little off, just staring at a bar. The man turned his head a bit to look at Jake, before seeming to sigh.
“Sorry, officer.” He said, voice almost covered by the rain. He turned and began walking down the sidewalk with his bare feet. Something clicked in Jakes head and he pushed the cruiser forward, catching up with the man.
“Doc?” Jake called out. The man stopped and looked up, finally facing Jake. It was in fact Arlo. Jake swore and double parked the cruiser. He hopped out into the rain and jogged to meet the man on the sidewalk. “What the hell you doin’ out here, Doc?” Jake asked, quieter now that they were closer and he didn’t have to yell over the rain.
“Jake?” Arlo looked as confused as he did, and a bit worried.
“Yeah, it’s me. What the-...Come on lets get out of the rain.” Jake pushed Arlo towards the cruiser, and opened the passenger door for him. Arlo sat down, while Jake moved to the drivers side. He started the car, and drove off. “What the hell are you doing out there? It’s freezing and pouring out there.” Jake said, concerned.
“I couldn’t sleep, I wanted to go for a walk.” Arlo said, sounding distracted. Jake hesitated.
“You know, we haven’t really known each other for long...But if you need to talk......Uh...I just mean that...well you were standing outside a bar...I just want you to know that I’m here...uh...For you.” Jake stammered, looking awkward under Arlo’s gaze.
“Thanks, Jake.” Arlo said.
“No problem, Doc....” Jake said, and hesitated again. “So you just decided to go for a walk without any shoes on?” Jake asked. Arlo looked down at his feet, as if he just realized he wasn’t wearing shoes.
“Uh...Yeah.” It was a bold faced lie. Jake didn’t know what Arlo was hiding, but now wasn’t the time for questioning him.
“Well, I’ll take you home.” Jake said.
“No.” Arlo said, a little too quickly. Jake eyed him. “I mean...Just drop me off at a hotel or something. I don’t feel like being at home tonight.” Arlo said.
“A hotel? Don’t you live alone? Why don’t you want to be at home?” Jake asked.
“Uh...I just need a change of sceanery for a night or two. Motel 6 is fine.” Arlo said. Jake frowned and stared at him.
“Nah, Doc. I can't just drop you off at a hotel. You can stay at my place. I get off now, actually.” Jake said, looking at the clock.
“Really, Jake. You don’t have to do that.” Arlo shook his head.
“I’m not just going to drop you off at some scummy place, Doc. If you don’t want to go home that’s fine, but you’re not staying there.” Jake said, as they passed a motel 6. Arlo seemed to sigh.
“Okay...Thank you.” He said. Jake pulled into the police station.
“I just have to check the cruiser back in, go ahead and sit in the truck.” Jake said, and handed him the keys to the old beaten up truck. Arlo took them and waited with the heater on. Jake came in a few minutes later, out of uniform.
“I have to say, you do look pretty hot in the uniform.” Arlo smiled a little bit.
“Why thank you. That doctors coat makes you look pretty official, too.” Jake winked. Arlo laughed, and they joked as they drove to Jake’s home. “I hope you like dogs.” Jake said, as they climbed out of the truck and began walking up to his house.
“I love them.” Arlo smiled. As soon as Jake opened the door, a large black and white dog pounced on Arlo. He giggled as the dog peppered his face with kisses, before running off back into the house. Behind the door, waiting patiently for Jake was an older dog. The dog squinted lazily, wagging his tail slowly. Jake bent and kissed the dog, patting him on the head.
“Good boy, Bounder.” He said.
“That one is Bounder?” Arlo rolled his eyes, as the other dog ran in circles around the house, slipping and sliding on the hard wood floors.
“Yeah...The black one is Rocket.” Jake laughed. The dog, at the mention of his name, took off down a hallway. Somewhere in the distance, there was a loud crash as the poor pup ran into something. “She does that a lot.” Jake said.
“This is nice.” Arlo said. The house was spacious and clean, it smelled like bacon and dogs. Arlo found himself liking the smell. It smelled homey.
“Thanks...Here let me see if I can find you something.” Jake walked down the hall. Arlo followed him, looking around the house as he went. Jake walked into a small walk in closet and looked around for a second before pulling out some clothes. He handed Arlo the stack of clothing, a pair of sweats, a long sleeve T shirt, some socks, and a pair of boxers.
“Thank you.” Arlo said and smiled. They stood their awkwardly before Jake blushed.
“I’ll, uh....let you change.” He disappeared, closing the door to the room. Arlo laughed and began changing out of his wet clothes.
After he was in the warm, but much to large, clothing he ventured out to find jake. He found him in the living room, sipping some coffee.
“Hey, want a cup?” He asked.
“I’m not a big coffee fan.” Arlo declined. Jake laughed.
“Uh...This is a bit embarassing, but it’s not coffee. I’m a hot chocolate kind of guy, myself.” He smiled. Arlo laughed.
“Then I’ll gladly accept.” Arlo smiled. They sat there and chatted about nothing over their steaming cups of hot chocolate, until Arlo yawned and stretched. “I’d love to stay up with you, longer. But I have to be at work at six tomorrow.” Arlo said.
“Oh, right. It’s my day off I forgot you still have to work.” Jake laughed. “I can give you a ride in the morning.” He said.
“Thanks. So, I’ll just crash on the couch?” Arlo asked, after not seeing a guest bedroom.
“Well, yeah you could. I mean...if you wanted to. My bedroom is always open.” He blushed.
“Oh...” Arlo couldn’t deny that it did sound appealing. “I’d love to, Jake. But like I said, I have work tomorrow and-”
“I meant just as a place to sleep. We don’t have to do anything else.” Jake blushed harder. Arlo smiled.
“Okay.” He nodded. Jake led him back to his room, and stripped off his shirt before crawling into bed. Arlo decided to keep his on, but crawled in next to Jake. Without any hesitation, the big cop wrapped his arms around Arlo, and pulled him close to his chest. Arlo snuggled in, and wrapped his own arms around Jake. It was something that he and Donovan never did anymore. They didn’t fall asleep right away, they sat there and held each other. Jake didn’t know what was going on with Arlo, and Arlo didn’t know that Jake knew there was something wrong. But both of them put that aside and just enjoyed the company of another human being.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Don't be an asshole...
A lot of people say they don't like classical music. A lot of people say they like classical music, but really they're just lying to seem sophisticated. A lot of people say they like classical music, but really they only know the most popular pieces, and probably don't know who even composed it.
I like classical music. I play classical music. I know classical music. And I accept the responsibility to educe people on such wonderful stuff.
Again, a lot of people who don't like classical music think it's boring and stupid. I say they're boring and stupid. I listen to classical music, and Iron maiden, and Lady Gaga. You don't have to like just one type of music. There's so much out there, why limit yourself? Luckily, most people can figure out they're music on their own. But Classical is ALWAYS overlooked. So here I am to educate you ( Don't watch all of them all the way through, you'll be here for days.). When people think of classical music, they think of something like this:
It's romantic, quiet, slow, and kind of boring. I don't listen to this kind of classical music.
Another problem is that when people think of classical music they think of this:
Now don't get me wrong, it's a GREAT and beautiful piece. But it's about as overplayed as Journeys 'Don't stop believin'' I love this piece, and I do listen to it on occasion, but come on. We all know this one.
Again, another problem is that some people know the piece, but only the most famous part of it....
I like classical music. I play classical music. I know classical music. And I accept the responsibility to educe people on such wonderful stuff.
Again, a lot of people who don't like classical music think it's boring and stupid. I say they're boring and stupid. I listen to classical music, and Iron maiden, and Lady Gaga. You don't have to like just one type of music. There's so much out there, why limit yourself? Luckily, most people can figure out they're music on their own. But Classical is ALWAYS overlooked. So here I am to educate you ( Don't watch all of them all the way through, you'll be here for days.). When people think of classical music, they think of something like this:
It's romantic, quiet, slow, and kind of boring. I don't listen to this kind of classical music.
Another problem is that when people think of classical music they think of this:
One of my absolute favorites. It's well known, and amazing and beautiful.
And ANOTHER problem is that people are so closed minded they say "I like metal, I could never like classical." Which is the stupidest thing I've ever heard anyone say in my entire life. That's like saying. "I like french fries, I could never like ketchup." They go together like the most beautiful thing in the entire world. A LOT of classical sounds like (Jump to 2:50 ) :
It can be kind of dark, and intense, and melodramatic, and catchy as all fuck. So when people say "Those types of music are never combined." I respond with:
Which is the song my story 'A new kind of love' was based off of. Before anybody says (or thinks) that that wasn't your favorite, or that it was only one story. I would say about 80% of my stories are based off of or around either TSO songs or Classical music. The other 20% is video games FYI...hehe.
So for my conclusion, all I have to say is that for EVERY genre of music, there's a classical counterpart to it. If you like country, there's a bunch of sad sad songs for violin. If you like up beat stuff, try the flute. If you like a little bit of everything, Organ, Piano, and Orchestras are right for you. If you don't know what you like, message me and I'll be happy to get you hooked on the most unappreciated musical genre of all time.
P.S. The way I think about classical is that, a song with lyrics makes you think about certain things, or has a certain vibe to it. When it's just you and the instruments, you're allowed to feel what you want to feel. It has a way of getting directly to your soul, while other music just floats around on the surface.
So for my conclusion, all I have to say is that for EVERY genre of music, there's a classical counterpart to it. If you like country, there's a bunch of sad sad songs for violin. If you like up beat stuff, try the flute. If you like a little bit of everything, Organ, Piano, and Orchestras are right for you. If you don't know what you like, message me and I'll be happy to get you hooked on the most unappreciated musical genre of all time.
P.S. The way I think about classical is that, a song with lyrics makes you think about certain things, or has a certain vibe to it. When it's just you and the instruments, you're allowed to feel what you want to feel. It has a way of getting directly to your soul, while other music just floats around on the surface.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Cinderella Ch.05
This is the final chapter of Cinderella, and it comes with a few announcements.
First of all, I want to thank everyone who followed me over to the blog. It means a lot to me that my stories are more than a quick jack off session to some people (Though you jackers are still welcome)
Second, I would like to welcome my new readers. You guys are what keep this thing running, without new members of the family, family reunions would suck. (Just pretend these witty puns make sense okay?)
Third, I apologize if this chapter is super unedited or sloppy. Ozzy discovered the magic of a keyboard and my cell phone when I write or text. It's impossible to send out a ledgible text message now. He gets his tiny feet all over it. (If you don't know who Ozzy is, get out. Or better yet go to the Kittehz tab at the top of the page and read about my children. DO IT NOW!)
Fourth, As a reward to the people addressed in announcement one and two (mainly announcement one) My next story is going to be on my dark side once more. You all seemed to love it when I go all evil on you. As long as I don't kill off some poor boy with wings (Man I did get a beating for that one. Again, if you don't know what I'm talking about. Go to my Stories tab and read everything from top to bottom.) But as usual, I have to warn you that my dark side IS very dark (Free at last wasn't even close to how bad I can get people. Don't make me pull out the big guns and make you cry to death, Cuz I'll do it.) My next story can breach some sensitive subjects and I just feel I should have a warning to ya'll about it. But come on, that's what makes it exciting right?
Okay, okay. Sorry for the long announcements. It's late and I'm tired from feeding kitties and I'm all hopped up on Dr pepper and those little bugs that land in it when they miss the light of my computer screen ._. (Seriously I've eaten like four and it's kind of grossing me out.)
Enjoy:
Oh, P.S......
UNEDITED
~~~~~~~~~~~
The prince opened his eyes and was met with another pair of eyes. Titus smiled at little and the prince rolled his eyes and smiled back.
“What the hell does this mean?” The prince asked.
“I haven’t a clue.” Titus said.
“It means, that everything is okay.” Areli smiled, and got down on his knees on the bed. They hadn’t been sleeping long, and the sun was still an hour or so away from setting.
“Is it then?” The prince laughed as Areli curled up between the two.
“Yes.” Areli nodded, positive.
“Not exactly.” Titus mumbled.
“What do you mean?” Areli frowned.
“There’s still the matter of who you stay with.” Titus said, brushing Areli’s white hair out of his eyes.
“I’ll stay with both of you. here.” Areli pouted.
“I still have to go home, and the prince still has to stay here.” Titus shook his head sadly. Areli sighed and buried his head in the bed.
“My prince, the king summons you and the stablemaster.” A guard poked his head in. The prince frowned.
“For what?” he questioned.
“He didn’t say my lord, only that he requested both of you.” The guard said. The prince sighed and stood. The guard averted his eyes at the prince’s bare body. Titus did the same, and they both dressed.
“We’ll be back within the hour, love.” The prince bent and kissed Areli, and Titus did the same.
“If we’re not, you know what to do.” Titus smiled and they left. Areli watched them leave, but it was only a second later he realized the guard still stood in the room.
“Uh, is that all?” Areli asked.
“No, No it isn’t.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The prince and Titus walked down the hall quickly, knowing the king didn’t like to be kept waiting. Before they were at the door, Titus stopped the prince and turned him to face him, leaning down and stealing a kiss. The prince smiled.
“We were enemies not two hours ago.” The prince said.
“We’re not anymore.” Titus said, and accepted another kiss from the prince. The prince wrapped a hand around Titus’ back and squeezed his ass with a wicked smile. He turned, left Titus, and opened the door.
“My son, to what do I owe this visit?” The king smiled warmly.
“What do you mean, father? You didn’t summon us?” The prince looked at Titus who looked just as confused.
“Summon you? No...I’ve been in a meeting with the generals up until a few moments ago.” The king said, equally as confused.
“What?” The prince whispered. “Why did that guard bring us down here?” He asked.
“I don’t know...Now that I think about it...He did look familiar.” Titus frowned.
“Familiar?” The prince asked.
“Yes...The other day I saw Areli talking to him.” Titus said.
“When?” The prince asked.
“Right before we went riding. He looked pretty mad.” Titus said, becoming worried.
“What does he want with Areli?” The prince asked, becoming angry.
“I don’t know but whatever it is, he’s not going to get it.” Titus said, just as angry. The two ran towards the room again. Leaving the king lost and confused.
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Let me go! I’ll have you executed for this!” Areli shouted, kicking and wiggling under the guards arm. The large man carried him like he was a pillow. He had tied Areli’s arms to his sides, and picked him up around the waist, under his arms.
“Shut up!” The man snapped.
“Let me go!” Areli shouted again, ignoring the command. The sun was beginning to set and he was starting to get worried as the guard carried him farther and farther from the palace. “It’s getting dark, you know what happens at night! I have to get back!” Areli said.
“I know what happens.” The guard said simply. Areli kicked and spat some more, fighting his rough grip.
“Now, stay here.” The guard said as he sat him down on the ground. He grabbed a chain and attached it to the collar Areli wore. He wrapped the chain tight around a pole in the ground and locked it.
“What are you doing!?” Areli shouted, and pulled at his locked collar.
“I’m showing the world what you are.” The guard got in his face, before turning and walking away. Areli looked around, and saw he wasn’t far from the town. Just far enough that they couldn’t hear his screams.
“Where are you going?!” Areli shouted at him.
“To get your friend.” The guard smiled as he walked away.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The prince and Titus looked around the room desperately, unable to find Areli. There were signs of a struggle and both of them worried.
“Where could he have gone?” The prince yelled.
“Wherever he went, I don’t think it was willingly.” Titus said, worried.
“We need to find him, now.” The prince said. He grabbed his whip off of the hook on the wall, and Titus grabbed his riding gloves, before they headed towards the stables. They mounted the horses quickly and kicked them into a gallop. Their hooves ate away at the ground beneath them in a race. But this time, they weren’t racing each other.
They circled the grounds silently, searching for any sign of Areli. Coming up with none, they stopped.
“This isn’t working. It’s almost sunset and we need to find him.” Titus said, becoming frustrated.
“You keep looking, I’m going to go assemble the guard to search for him.” The prince said. Titus nodded and the two galloped off in their separate directions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The prince jumped off his horse, and without tying it to a post or anything, ran inside the front of the castle. He frowned when he saw the guards weren’t at their usual place. Before he could question it, he felt a thick piece of cloth being forced around his mouth. He grunted and pulled at the cloth. The assailant wrapped a thick arm around the princes’ thin waist and pulled him back. The prince kicked at the air and struggled against the attacker, but to no avail. Before he could even bat an eye, his hands and feet were tied, and he was thrown onto the back of a horse like a piece of baggage.
He kicked and grunted as the horse began to trot to their destination. The rider reached a hand back and placed it on the prince’s back, keeping him in place while they rode. The prince felt sick at the man's touch, but tried not to show it. However, he didn’t hide his fury. He cursed and kicked for the entire ride. As they reached their destination, he was finally worn out by his own struggles. He looked up briefly to see where they were, and saw young Areli tied to a post. The town was nearby, and Areli only stared at the low hanging sun anxiously. The man picked the prince up off the horse by his tied hands, and moved him over to the pole. He slapped a large metal collar around the prince’s neck and attached a chain to that with a lock. He untied the prince, removing the ropes and gag.
“You will be executed for this! How dare you!” The prince shouted at the man. The prince yanked at the chain around his neck, feeling like a caged animal. He briefly wondered if this was what Areli always felt like. At the thought of Areli, his eyes landed on the small boy. The muscles under his skin quivered and he shook, as the sun disappeared behind the mountains. All that was left now was the soft pink skyline, and the bright moon rising. He quickly took stock of their situation.
The first thing he noticed, was that his chain was a whole hell of a lot shorter than Areli’s. It was clear to both of them that if, or when, Areli changed...He would be well within reach of the prince. In the dirt surrounding the pole, there was a deep line drawn. The man who had taken the prince, and a few other guards stood behind the line. Areli sat, his toes touching the line. The prince tugged his chain again, and swallowed. It was clear Areli was using every last bit of his strength to keep from turning, and it wasn’t working well.
He shook and whimpered quietly as his hair began growing into the long thick strands of Wendigo hair. His nails began sharpening and the prince could hear his bones shifting from where he sat. He heard a loud snap as a bone shifted or grew, and Areli screamed. The prince swallowed at the large teeth that were forcing their way out of Areli’s once small and sexy mouth. Areli covered his ears, as if trying to block out the sound of his scream turning into the blood thirsty howl of the Wendigo.
“What the fuck are you doing? Get me the fuck out of here!” The prince cursed, tugging at his chain again.
“You’ve kept this beast in your kingdom, and we’re supposed to trust you as king one day? I don’t think so, your highness.” The lead guard sneered.
“I’ll have to sentenced to death for treason you idiot pig!” The prince swore. Areli whimpered loudly, sounding more animal than human now.
“Your little pet is turning.” The guard ignored the prince. “In minutes he’ll turn on you.” He tried to keep the laughter out of his voice. “Then we’ll release him on to YOUR town. The survivors will discover what you’ve done. Keeping this beast here. Putting us all in danger.” The guards once smiling face turned into a dark scowl.
“You don’t understand! It’s only during the night, I have control over him. He hasn’t hurt anyone!” The prince begged.
“Hasn’t hurt anyone? What about the guards he ATE?” The guard snapped, drawing his sword and pointing it in the prince’s face.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” The prince asked.
“You lost control of him. For one night! It took one night and he ate two of my men.” The guard snapped.
“He didn’t mean to. He felt awful about it. You don’t know how upset he was!” The prince said, his fight dying down as he let his hands dangle from his collar weakly.
“It matters not what he meant, only what he did. You’ll pay for your crimes soon enough.” The guard sheathed his sword and stepped back, sitting on the ground with the keys to the chains in his hands. The prince clenched his jaw and shut his eyes in anger, before looking up at Areli and then back at the guard.
“I don’t understand, you guards were hired, knowing what you were guarding. Why are you attacking us now?” The prince asked.
“Because, for years we barely believed you could handle it. When you slipped up, that was the proof that you had put us all in danger.” The guard glared. The prince scowled, and turned back to Areli.
“Just hold on, Areli.” The prince whispered to him. He took a step closer, but stopped when Areli howled and tugged at his chain.
“No!” He screamed, still more animal than man. The prince stared at him, and backed up. Knowing that Areli was doing his best to keep from hurting his prince, but failing quickly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Titus stopped the horse from his gallop and sighed. He hadn’t found Areli, or seen the prince, or any of the guards he was supposed to have brought. He thought about going back, but figured it would only waste time. The sun had set, and instead of looking for Areli, he was now looking for a walking disaster with four arms. Or at least the screams of his victims.
But the night was still quiet. The crickets chirped softly, and a few fires could be seen lighting the nearby town. A few fires could be seen inside the large stone castle, but the prince’s fire was out, leaving his room dark. Titus sighed and wiped his forehead. He was about to kick the horse back into a gallop, when he heard the all too familiar mix of growl and scream.
“No!” The cry echoed through the valley the castle sat in. He turned his head to the source of the noise, and kicked the horse into a gallop once again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Areli screamed and shook in agony as he transformed. Tears streamed down his face and he pulled at his chain until blood began running from his neck. His mouth was now open in an endless screech and his claws began pawing at the dirt. His second arms began ripping through his thin tunic. The smaller arms began clawing at his first set, tearing the pale skin on his upper arms. Areli fought the change as hard as he ever had before. The chain creaked with the force of Areli’s rage. Even the wood of the large sturdy pole began to whine and groan. The prince watched as the pole that tied them together slowly began to bend.
Areli threw himself back, his long legs making him stretch far above seven feet tall. His first set of hands clutched his head with agony as he finished his transformation. He howled and cried, a sick mixture of furious animal, and pained human. He opened his eyes for the first time since his transformation, and the prince found himself terrified by the glowing red eyes. He had seen those eyes for the past twelve years, every night, and had never been scared. But this time he was.
“Merek!” Titus galloped up, stopping the horse just before the howling Areli. It took the prince only a moment to realize the stable master hadn’t stopped the horse, the animal had panicked at the sight of the creature. It reared back and cried out in a loud whinny. Titus was thrown off the animal as it took off into the distance, far away from Areli.
“Titus, get out of here. They’re going to let Areli free!” The prince tugged at his chains, desperate to escape. “Behind you!” Merek cried, as the guard swung his sword. Titus rolled out of the way just in time. The sword cut into the dirt. Titus pushed himself up onto his feet and punched another guard who raised his sword. The guard dropped the sword as he held his nose, which gushed blood. Titus stumbled from the momentum of his punch and fell, picking up the sword in the process. He drew it back, and swung. The sword stuck in the second guards shoulder, forcing a scream from his mouth. Titus yanked his sword out of the man's shoulder and took a large swing and the first, and lead, guard who had attacked him. The guard was far more experienced than the second, and me Titus with his own sword.
“Left!” The prince shouted, as Titus dodge another guard. Merek continued to call out the swings aimed at Titus.
“Shut up!” The head guard shouted.
“Give me a sword and we can settle this personally!” The prince growled. Areli had been distracted by all the commotion going on outside of the circle. He reached pathetically with his unusually long arms at the fighting men. Titus made sure to steer clear of Areli’s outreached hands as the Wendigo tugged and roared at the chain holding him.
After a short fight, it was down to only Titus and the lead guard who had kidnapped both the prince and Areli. Titus was far less experienced with a sword, and knew his chances weren’t the best. But he wasn’t above playing dirty. The prince tried to keep quiet and hoped Areli’s attention would stay on the two men out of his reach, and not on him.
“You die now, farmhand!” The guard shouted. He began hacking at Titus with large, well practiced, swings. Titus struggled to block the blows, not even able to get his own swing in. Areli roared and cried as the two men danced just inches out of his reached. The wood creaked and groaned, and the collar cut into his neck. Titus gasped for air as he lost the upper hand in the fight. He fell to the ground, frantically blocking the head guards’ expert swings. Areli went berserk as Titus failed to block one of the blows, the sword scraping his arm and drawing blood.
The claws of his back legs scratched large trenches in the soft ground. The chains holding him began to creak louder. The weight of the Wendigo taking their toll on the much too small chains.
“Titus!” The prince said, in a warning shout.
“Occupied!” Titus said, through gritted teeth. The guard pulled his arm back for a final swing. Titus looked around for any hope of escape, and took the only chance he saw. He pulled back his leg and kicked hard. He winced at the sound of the guards shin cracking, and his screams of pain.
He stumbled back, landing on his ass as he screamed in agony. In the haze of pain, he failed to recognize how close he had come to Areli. He was well outside the circle, but they hadn’t taken into account that Areli’s arms grew when he transformed, so much so that even if he was to stand upright (which he rarely did as the Wendigo) his fingers would still rest on the ground if he didn’t bend his arms. With the long arms he was gifted with, he was able to reach the guard. His incredibly large hand wrapped around the guards head easily, his fingers hooking under the poor mans chin.
Titus stared disgustingly at the screams of the man, as his jaw was pierced with Areli’s large fingers. The Wendigo lifted the flailing man with ease, and opened his monstrous jaws. He bit down on the screaming man, and within seconds all that remained were the scraps of severed limbs. The Wendigo growled, as it grew several more feet, and at least a hundred more pounds. It looked up, and Titus could have sworn it smiled a wicked smile. It screeched loudly, and jumped at Titus. The chain snapped as if it had been a piece of yarn holding a bull. Titus turned and ran, stopping only when the Wendigo landed a few feet behind him. The force of the beast hitting the ground sent him flying onto his stomach. He grabbed the sword that had fallen a few feet away from him and turned.
He winced at the sickening squish as the sword sliced through the Wendigos pale flesh. The beast's eyes went wide as it registered the sword sticking through its torso. In pain and frustration, it reared back and roared. It stumbled around on its back legs, trying to pull out the large hunk of metal with its smaller set of arms. Eventually, it tried its main arms. When that didn’t work, he tugged at it with both. With the sword embedded so close to its body, it was unable to remove the hunk of metal. Areli roared again, practically shaking the trees of the nearby forest.
“Titus, run!” The prince shouted. Areli turned and faced him, roaring again. He used his powerful back legs to launch himself off the ground, landing just outside the circle drawn around the pole. The prince backed up in the dirt, as Areli ran closer. He shut his eyes as he prepared for his death. From the moment he had found out what Areli was, he knew the beast would be his downfall. He heard the deep breath of the Wendigo, a few feet away, but there was no more pounding of running feet, or growls of anger. Just the heavy breathing.
He opened his eyes, and swallowed, as he saw the Wendigo jaws locked onto Titus’ arm. The man screamed in agony and the prince blinked hard, when he saw Areli released his grip on Titus. He shook his head, and his nose wrinkled. His long tongue flicked out, covered with blood. He spat and coughed on the ground, hissing at the blood. Titus fell down beside the prince, wincing and holding his arm in pain. The prince was concerned, but was far more interested in Areli.
The great beast stood a few feet away, shaking his head with his tongue hanging out. Blood and Wendigo spit flew from the beast's mouth. It roared and began wiping its open mouth on the ground and scratching at its own face with its claw. Titus groaned in pain, but was now also taking notice of the beast.
“What’s he doing?” The prince asked. Titus frowned.
“I...I don’t know.” Titus frowned through the pain. After a few more minutes of hissing and spitting, the Wendigo stopped. It met its red eyes with Titus’ and took a few steps closer, walking on its main arms and back legs. Its second pair of arms were folded up tight against its body. Titus winced as the Wendigo’s large mouth was brought within inches of his face. Areli bared his large teeth, and sniffed.
Titus opened his eyes as his hair was tossed with the breath of the Wendigo. It circled its long neck around, and sniffed Titus where his neck met his shoulder. He pulled back and stared at Titus with curious eyes. It lowered its head, and growled.
“Merek...?” Titus asked.
“I don’t know! He’s never done anything like this.” The prince said, just as lost as Titus. Titus looked down at the sword protruding from Areli’s chest and bit his lip.
“Is that going to hurt him?” He asked.
“I don’t know. They’re kind of hard to kill.” The prince said, not all that worried about Areli. He was more concerned for the people Areli got his hands on. Through the bright glowing red eyes, he thought he saw a flicker of Areli’s real self.
“I think....I think Areli is fighting for control.” Titus whispered.
“Can he? He’s never had control in this form before...” Merek whispered too, as if Areli would snap at any minute, which he surely could.
“Areli? Can you hear me, love?” Titus asked, a little louder and directed at the behemoth before him. The Wendigo took a deep breath, before roaring loudly in Titus’ face. But once the roar subsided, he did nothing else.
“Does that mean yes?” Merek whispered. Titus swallowed.
“We have to get you out of here.” Titus whispered, not losing eye contact with the Wendigo.
“I don’t know if you noticed, but Areli ate the keys.” Merek hissed.
“Fuck.” Titus cursed. “We’ll have to break it.” Titus stood, the Wendigo watching him as he moved. He grabbed a fallen sword, and began trying to break the chain. He sighed when there was barely even a dent. Titus stopped, sighing and wiping sweat from his forehead. He looked around for another option and his eyes landed on the Wendigo that still followed his every move.
“Want to give me a hand here?” Titus nodded at the chain. The Wendigo growled when Titus spoke to it, but did nothing else. “Okay, so maybe control is a loose term.” Titus sighed.
“From the looks of it, he’s barely holding on. You need to go. Get him somewhere safe.” The prince said, but as he spoke Titus could see fire in the distance.
“Merek...” Titus whispered. Merek turned his head, to see a large mob of townspeople heading their way fast. The Wendigo turned as well, and howled loudly.
“Shut up, Shut up!” Titus, without thinking, moved to silenced the Wendigo. His hands wrapped around his large jaws, but the beast only growled and tried to pull its head out of Titus’ hands.
“They’ll kill him, Titus. Get him out of here!” The prince shouted.
“And what will become of you, if I leave you?” Titus began trying to break the chains again.
“That doesn’t matter, you have to take care of Areli!” The prince put a hand on Titus’ shoulder, before taking a kiss from one of his two loves. Titus returned the kiss and held onto the prince for a few moments longer.
“As soon as he’s safe, I’m coming back for you.” Titus whispered.
“I know.” The prince said, but wasn’t sure if he would be around to be rescued.
Titus grabbed the chain dangling from Areli’s neck and pulled, hard.
“Come on.” He tugged. The three of them knew that four men probably couldn’t pull the Wendigo somewhere it didn’t want to go. But whatever small amount of control Areli had over the beast, he used then. The Wendigo lumbered behind Titus as he pulled him towards the forest. Suddenly, he caught sight of an animal, and took off into the forest, dragging Titus behind him on his stomach. The prince watched them leave, and swallowed as he turned back to the angry mob that awaited him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The prince stared down at the ground sadly, his hands tied in front of his body. The noose dangled around his neck lazily as the priest prayed for him. The executioner wasn’t far away, waiting to pull the lever that would drop the platform, ending Merek’s life.
The prince had no regrets. He had died protecting Areli, and that’s how he wanted it. As long as Areli was safe, he was happy. For a long time he believed he was the only one who could keep Areli safe, but now he realized that he didn’t have a choice. Titus would be the one protecting Areli now.
Guards drummed a steady beat, the sound of an execution. The king stood by sadly, looking down at his son from the balcony. There was nothing but disgrace in his eyes. The prince shut his eyes as the executioner placed his hand on the lever. The crowd cheered as their prince was prepared to be executed for putting his kingdom in danger. The prince sighed, believing he was taking his last breath. He felt more than saw the executioner put his other hand on the lever and prepare to pull. Suddenly, the heavy sounds of hoof beats flooded his ears. The crowd gasped as the galloping hooves grew closer, and the squeaking of the handle being pulled filled the air. The prince took a deep breath, more out of fear than trying to preserve his own life. He felt a strange vibration on the wooden floor of the gallows, and then he felt the empty space beneath his feet as the trap door was dropped. He fell, but only a few inches before a strong arm was wrapped around his waist. The rope tugged at his neck, and he couldn’t breath, but his neck hadn’t been broken.
He opened his eyes, and couldn’t help but smile through the tears as he sat Titus’ face. He sat astride the large black stallion, holding Merek up above the noose as best he could. Merek tossed and turned his neck, finally slipping out of the noose, and Titus through him onto the back of the horse.
He kicked at the horse, who jumped off the gallows, and they were gone in seconds. The mob behind them stood there for a stunned moment, before they began crying out in rage. A few chased them, guards fired arrows from the towers of the castle, but they were long gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“It took you bloody long enough.” Merek swore, tugging at the ropes around his wrists.
“I’m sorry, I was worried about leaving Areli. He felt so bad about biting me.” TItus said. Merek looked down at his arm, and saw that Areli had done a lot of damage. Titus held it to his side carefully, and couldn’t move that hand on that arm much anymore. Merek wondered if it would ever be able to work the same. Titus pulled a knife from his belt, and cut the ties on the princes’ wrists.
“Speak of the devil...” Merek murmured. Areli poked his head out from behind a nearby tree. He smiled when Merek opened his arms and buried his face in Merek’s chest.
“My prince! I was worried...” He whispered, blushing.
“No need to worry, pet. Everything’s alright now....Isn’t it?” He looked between them.
“I have a friend in another kingdom. A kingdom with a harbor. We’ll make our way there and catch a ship, we can't stay here.” Titus said.
“A ship? How are we going to keep Areli safe on a ship?” Merek asked.
“After that night, he’s learned to control himself better. He’s not in complete control when he changes, but I’m sure he can manage to keep the Wendigo quiet for a few days while we sail.” Titus said. Areli smiled and nodded.
“And what then? We have no money, no home. We won't even be able to keep the horse.” Merek sighed, sitting down on a rock. Titus was silent, knowing the prince was right.
“We have each other, and that’s all I want.” Areli said, face serious. Titus and Merek looked up at him skeptically.
“I’m afraid everything doesn’t work that way, Love.” Titus brushed Areli’s cheek with his good hand.
“We’ll make it work. The three of us are unstoppable as far as I’m concerned.” Areli raised his chin.
“A stable master, an exiled prince, and a Wendigo...” Titus began.
“Walked into a bar?” The prince raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, I’ve heard this one.” Areli smiled. The three laughed and Titus and Areli sat down next to their prince.
“We’ll make it.” The prince said.
“I know.” Areli nodded.
“Both of you are insane. Get on the horse.” Titus climbed onto the stallion. The prince hopped on back, and Areli walked beside them. After awhile, they switched.
All of them were silent, trying to keep their minds off of what lie ahead of them. Only focusing on what they had been through, who they had met, and what their future life could be like.
First of all, I want to thank everyone who followed me over to the blog. It means a lot to me that my stories are more than a quick jack off session to some people (Though you jackers are still welcome)
Second, I would like to welcome my new readers. You guys are what keep this thing running, without new members of the family, family reunions would suck. (Just pretend these witty puns make sense okay?)
Third, I apologize if this chapter is super unedited or sloppy. Ozzy discovered the magic of a keyboard and my cell phone when I write or text. It's impossible to send out a ledgible text message now. He gets his tiny feet all over it. (If you don't know who Ozzy is, get out. Or better yet go to the Kittehz tab at the top of the page and read about my children. DO IT NOW!)
Fourth, As a reward to the people addressed in announcement one and two (mainly announcement one) My next story is going to be on my dark side once more. You all seemed to love it when I go all evil on you. As long as I don't kill off some poor boy with wings (Man I did get a beating for that one. Again, if you don't know what I'm talking about. Go to my Stories tab and read everything from top to bottom.) But as usual, I have to warn you that my dark side IS very dark (Free at last wasn't even close to how bad I can get people. Don't make me pull out the big guns and make you cry to death, Cuz I'll do it.) My next story can breach some sensitive subjects and I just feel I should have a warning to ya'll about it. But come on, that's what makes it exciting right?
Okay, okay. Sorry for the long announcements. It's late and I'm tired from feeding kitties and I'm all hopped up on Dr pepper and those little bugs that land in it when they miss the light of my computer screen ._. (Seriously I've eaten like four and it's kind of grossing me out.)
Enjoy:
Oh, P.S......
UNEDITED
~~~~~~~~~~~
The prince opened his eyes and was met with another pair of eyes. Titus smiled at little and the prince rolled his eyes and smiled back.
“What the hell does this mean?” The prince asked.
“I haven’t a clue.” Titus said.
“It means, that everything is okay.” Areli smiled, and got down on his knees on the bed. They hadn’t been sleeping long, and the sun was still an hour or so away from setting.
“Is it then?” The prince laughed as Areli curled up between the two.
“Yes.” Areli nodded, positive.
“Not exactly.” Titus mumbled.
“What do you mean?” Areli frowned.
“There’s still the matter of who you stay with.” Titus said, brushing Areli’s white hair out of his eyes.
“I’ll stay with both of you. here.” Areli pouted.
“I still have to go home, and the prince still has to stay here.” Titus shook his head sadly. Areli sighed and buried his head in the bed.
“My prince, the king summons you and the stablemaster.” A guard poked his head in. The prince frowned.
“For what?” he questioned.
“He didn’t say my lord, only that he requested both of you.” The guard said. The prince sighed and stood. The guard averted his eyes at the prince’s bare body. Titus did the same, and they both dressed.
“We’ll be back within the hour, love.” The prince bent and kissed Areli, and Titus did the same.
“If we’re not, you know what to do.” Titus smiled and they left. Areli watched them leave, but it was only a second later he realized the guard still stood in the room.
“Uh, is that all?” Areli asked.
“No, No it isn’t.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The prince and Titus walked down the hall quickly, knowing the king didn’t like to be kept waiting. Before they were at the door, Titus stopped the prince and turned him to face him, leaning down and stealing a kiss. The prince smiled.
“We were enemies not two hours ago.” The prince said.
“We’re not anymore.” Titus said, and accepted another kiss from the prince. The prince wrapped a hand around Titus’ back and squeezed his ass with a wicked smile. He turned, left Titus, and opened the door.
“My son, to what do I owe this visit?” The king smiled warmly.
“What do you mean, father? You didn’t summon us?” The prince looked at Titus who looked just as confused.
“Summon you? No...I’ve been in a meeting with the generals up until a few moments ago.” The king said, equally as confused.
“What?” The prince whispered. “Why did that guard bring us down here?” He asked.
“I don’t know...Now that I think about it...He did look familiar.” Titus frowned.
“Familiar?” The prince asked.
“Yes...The other day I saw Areli talking to him.” Titus said.
“When?” The prince asked.
“Right before we went riding. He looked pretty mad.” Titus said, becoming worried.
“What does he want with Areli?” The prince asked, becoming angry.
“I don’t know but whatever it is, he’s not going to get it.” Titus said, just as angry. The two ran towards the room again. Leaving the king lost and confused.
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Let me go! I’ll have you executed for this!” Areli shouted, kicking and wiggling under the guards arm. The large man carried him like he was a pillow. He had tied Areli’s arms to his sides, and picked him up around the waist, under his arms.
“Shut up!” The man snapped.
“Let me go!” Areli shouted again, ignoring the command. The sun was beginning to set and he was starting to get worried as the guard carried him farther and farther from the palace. “It’s getting dark, you know what happens at night! I have to get back!” Areli said.
“I know what happens.” The guard said simply. Areli kicked and spat some more, fighting his rough grip.
“Now, stay here.” The guard said as he sat him down on the ground. He grabbed a chain and attached it to the collar Areli wore. He wrapped the chain tight around a pole in the ground and locked it.
“What are you doing!?” Areli shouted, and pulled at his locked collar.
“I’m showing the world what you are.” The guard got in his face, before turning and walking away. Areli looked around, and saw he wasn’t far from the town. Just far enough that they couldn’t hear his screams.
“Where are you going?!” Areli shouted at him.
“To get your friend.” The guard smiled as he walked away.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The prince and Titus looked around the room desperately, unable to find Areli. There were signs of a struggle and both of them worried.
“Where could he have gone?” The prince yelled.
“Wherever he went, I don’t think it was willingly.” Titus said, worried.
“We need to find him, now.” The prince said. He grabbed his whip off of the hook on the wall, and Titus grabbed his riding gloves, before they headed towards the stables. They mounted the horses quickly and kicked them into a gallop. Their hooves ate away at the ground beneath them in a race. But this time, they weren’t racing each other.
They circled the grounds silently, searching for any sign of Areli. Coming up with none, they stopped.
“This isn’t working. It’s almost sunset and we need to find him.” Titus said, becoming frustrated.
“You keep looking, I’m going to go assemble the guard to search for him.” The prince said. Titus nodded and the two galloped off in their separate directions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The prince jumped off his horse, and without tying it to a post or anything, ran inside the front of the castle. He frowned when he saw the guards weren’t at their usual place. Before he could question it, he felt a thick piece of cloth being forced around his mouth. He grunted and pulled at the cloth. The assailant wrapped a thick arm around the princes’ thin waist and pulled him back. The prince kicked at the air and struggled against the attacker, but to no avail. Before he could even bat an eye, his hands and feet were tied, and he was thrown onto the back of a horse like a piece of baggage.
He kicked and grunted as the horse began to trot to their destination. The rider reached a hand back and placed it on the prince’s back, keeping him in place while they rode. The prince felt sick at the man's touch, but tried not to show it. However, he didn’t hide his fury. He cursed and kicked for the entire ride. As they reached their destination, he was finally worn out by his own struggles. He looked up briefly to see where they were, and saw young Areli tied to a post. The town was nearby, and Areli only stared at the low hanging sun anxiously. The man picked the prince up off the horse by his tied hands, and moved him over to the pole. He slapped a large metal collar around the prince’s neck and attached a chain to that with a lock. He untied the prince, removing the ropes and gag.
“You will be executed for this! How dare you!” The prince shouted at the man. The prince yanked at the chain around his neck, feeling like a caged animal. He briefly wondered if this was what Areli always felt like. At the thought of Areli, his eyes landed on the small boy. The muscles under his skin quivered and he shook, as the sun disappeared behind the mountains. All that was left now was the soft pink skyline, and the bright moon rising. He quickly took stock of their situation.
The first thing he noticed, was that his chain was a whole hell of a lot shorter than Areli’s. It was clear to both of them that if, or when, Areli changed...He would be well within reach of the prince. In the dirt surrounding the pole, there was a deep line drawn. The man who had taken the prince, and a few other guards stood behind the line. Areli sat, his toes touching the line. The prince tugged his chain again, and swallowed. It was clear Areli was using every last bit of his strength to keep from turning, and it wasn’t working well.
He shook and whimpered quietly as his hair began growing into the long thick strands of Wendigo hair. His nails began sharpening and the prince could hear his bones shifting from where he sat. He heard a loud snap as a bone shifted or grew, and Areli screamed. The prince swallowed at the large teeth that were forcing their way out of Areli’s once small and sexy mouth. Areli covered his ears, as if trying to block out the sound of his scream turning into the blood thirsty howl of the Wendigo.
“What the fuck are you doing? Get me the fuck out of here!” The prince cursed, tugging at his chain again.
“You’ve kept this beast in your kingdom, and we’re supposed to trust you as king one day? I don’t think so, your highness.” The lead guard sneered.
“I’ll have to sentenced to death for treason you idiot pig!” The prince swore. Areli whimpered loudly, sounding more animal than human now.
“Your little pet is turning.” The guard ignored the prince. “In minutes he’ll turn on you.” He tried to keep the laughter out of his voice. “Then we’ll release him on to YOUR town. The survivors will discover what you’ve done. Keeping this beast here. Putting us all in danger.” The guards once smiling face turned into a dark scowl.
“You don’t understand! It’s only during the night, I have control over him. He hasn’t hurt anyone!” The prince begged.
“Hasn’t hurt anyone? What about the guards he ATE?” The guard snapped, drawing his sword and pointing it in the prince’s face.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” The prince asked.
“You lost control of him. For one night! It took one night and he ate two of my men.” The guard snapped.
“He didn’t mean to. He felt awful about it. You don’t know how upset he was!” The prince said, his fight dying down as he let his hands dangle from his collar weakly.
“It matters not what he meant, only what he did. You’ll pay for your crimes soon enough.” The guard sheathed his sword and stepped back, sitting on the ground with the keys to the chains in his hands. The prince clenched his jaw and shut his eyes in anger, before looking up at Areli and then back at the guard.
“I don’t understand, you guards were hired, knowing what you were guarding. Why are you attacking us now?” The prince asked.
“Because, for years we barely believed you could handle it. When you slipped up, that was the proof that you had put us all in danger.” The guard glared. The prince scowled, and turned back to Areli.
“Just hold on, Areli.” The prince whispered to him. He took a step closer, but stopped when Areli howled and tugged at his chain.
“No!” He screamed, still more animal than man. The prince stared at him, and backed up. Knowing that Areli was doing his best to keep from hurting his prince, but failing quickly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Titus stopped the horse from his gallop and sighed. He hadn’t found Areli, or seen the prince, or any of the guards he was supposed to have brought. He thought about going back, but figured it would only waste time. The sun had set, and instead of looking for Areli, he was now looking for a walking disaster with four arms. Or at least the screams of his victims.
But the night was still quiet. The crickets chirped softly, and a few fires could be seen lighting the nearby town. A few fires could be seen inside the large stone castle, but the prince’s fire was out, leaving his room dark. Titus sighed and wiped his forehead. He was about to kick the horse back into a gallop, when he heard the all too familiar mix of growl and scream.
“No!” The cry echoed through the valley the castle sat in. He turned his head to the source of the noise, and kicked the horse into a gallop once again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Areli screamed and shook in agony as he transformed. Tears streamed down his face and he pulled at his chain until blood began running from his neck. His mouth was now open in an endless screech and his claws began pawing at the dirt. His second arms began ripping through his thin tunic. The smaller arms began clawing at his first set, tearing the pale skin on his upper arms. Areli fought the change as hard as he ever had before. The chain creaked with the force of Areli’s rage. Even the wood of the large sturdy pole began to whine and groan. The prince watched as the pole that tied them together slowly began to bend.
Areli threw himself back, his long legs making him stretch far above seven feet tall. His first set of hands clutched his head with agony as he finished his transformation. He howled and cried, a sick mixture of furious animal, and pained human. He opened his eyes for the first time since his transformation, and the prince found himself terrified by the glowing red eyes. He had seen those eyes for the past twelve years, every night, and had never been scared. But this time he was.
“Merek!” Titus galloped up, stopping the horse just before the howling Areli. It took the prince only a moment to realize the stable master hadn’t stopped the horse, the animal had panicked at the sight of the creature. It reared back and cried out in a loud whinny. Titus was thrown off the animal as it took off into the distance, far away from Areli.
“Titus, get out of here. They’re going to let Areli free!” The prince tugged at his chains, desperate to escape. “Behind you!” Merek cried, as the guard swung his sword. Titus rolled out of the way just in time. The sword cut into the dirt. Titus pushed himself up onto his feet and punched another guard who raised his sword. The guard dropped the sword as he held his nose, which gushed blood. Titus stumbled from the momentum of his punch and fell, picking up the sword in the process. He drew it back, and swung. The sword stuck in the second guards shoulder, forcing a scream from his mouth. Titus yanked his sword out of the man's shoulder and took a large swing and the first, and lead, guard who had attacked him. The guard was far more experienced than the second, and me Titus with his own sword.
“Left!” The prince shouted, as Titus dodge another guard. Merek continued to call out the swings aimed at Titus.
“Shut up!” The head guard shouted.
“Give me a sword and we can settle this personally!” The prince growled. Areli had been distracted by all the commotion going on outside of the circle. He reached pathetically with his unusually long arms at the fighting men. Titus made sure to steer clear of Areli’s outreached hands as the Wendigo tugged and roared at the chain holding him.
After a short fight, it was down to only Titus and the lead guard who had kidnapped both the prince and Areli. Titus was far less experienced with a sword, and knew his chances weren’t the best. But he wasn’t above playing dirty. The prince tried to keep quiet and hoped Areli’s attention would stay on the two men out of his reach, and not on him.
“You die now, farmhand!” The guard shouted. He began hacking at Titus with large, well practiced, swings. Titus struggled to block the blows, not even able to get his own swing in. Areli roared and cried as the two men danced just inches out of his reached. The wood creaked and groaned, and the collar cut into his neck. Titus gasped for air as he lost the upper hand in the fight. He fell to the ground, frantically blocking the head guards’ expert swings. Areli went berserk as Titus failed to block one of the blows, the sword scraping his arm and drawing blood.
The claws of his back legs scratched large trenches in the soft ground. The chains holding him began to creak louder. The weight of the Wendigo taking their toll on the much too small chains.
“Titus!” The prince said, in a warning shout.
“Occupied!” Titus said, through gritted teeth. The guard pulled his arm back for a final swing. Titus looked around for any hope of escape, and took the only chance he saw. He pulled back his leg and kicked hard. He winced at the sound of the guards shin cracking, and his screams of pain.
He stumbled back, landing on his ass as he screamed in agony. In the haze of pain, he failed to recognize how close he had come to Areli. He was well outside the circle, but they hadn’t taken into account that Areli’s arms grew when he transformed, so much so that even if he was to stand upright (which he rarely did as the Wendigo) his fingers would still rest on the ground if he didn’t bend his arms. With the long arms he was gifted with, he was able to reach the guard. His incredibly large hand wrapped around the guards head easily, his fingers hooking under the poor mans chin.
Titus stared disgustingly at the screams of the man, as his jaw was pierced with Areli’s large fingers. The Wendigo lifted the flailing man with ease, and opened his monstrous jaws. He bit down on the screaming man, and within seconds all that remained were the scraps of severed limbs. The Wendigo growled, as it grew several more feet, and at least a hundred more pounds. It looked up, and Titus could have sworn it smiled a wicked smile. It screeched loudly, and jumped at Titus. The chain snapped as if it had been a piece of yarn holding a bull. Titus turned and ran, stopping only when the Wendigo landed a few feet behind him. The force of the beast hitting the ground sent him flying onto his stomach. He grabbed the sword that had fallen a few feet away from him and turned.
He winced at the sickening squish as the sword sliced through the Wendigos pale flesh. The beast's eyes went wide as it registered the sword sticking through its torso. In pain and frustration, it reared back and roared. It stumbled around on its back legs, trying to pull out the large hunk of metal with its smaller set of arms. Eventually, it tried its main arms. When that didn’t work, he tugged at it with both. With the sword embedded so close to its body, it was unable to remove the hunk of metal. Areli roared again, practically shaking the trees of the nearby forest.
“Titus, run!” The prince shouted. Areli turned and faced him, roaring again. He used his powerful back legs to launch himself off the ground, landing just outside the circle drawn around the pole. The prince backed up in the dirt, as Areli ran closer. He shut his eyes as he prepared for his death. From the moment he had found out what Areli was, he knew the beast would be his downfall. He heard the deep breath of the Wendigo, a few feet away, but there was no more pounding of running feet, or growls of anger. Just the heavy breathing.
He opened his eyes, and swallowed, as he saw the Wendigo jaws locked onto Titus’ arm. The man screamed in agony and the prince blinked hard, when he saw Areli released his grip on Titus. He shook his head, and his nose wrinkled. His long tongue flicked out, covered with blood. He spat and coughed on the ground, hissing at the blood. Titus fell down beside the prince, wincing and holding his arm in pain. The prince was concerned, but was far more interested in Areli.
The great beast stood a few feet away, shaking his head with his tongue hanging out. Blood and Wendigo spit flew from the beast's mouth. It roared and began wiping its open mouth on the ground and scratching at its own face with its claw. Titus groaned in pain, but was now also taking notice of the beast.
“What’s he doing?” The prince asked. Titus frowned.
“I...I don’t know.” Titus frowned through the pain. After a few more minutes of hissing and spitting, the Wendigo stopped. It met its red eyes with Titus’ and took a few steps closer, walking on its main arms and back legs. Its second pair of arms were folded up tight against its body. Titus winced as the Wendigo’s large mouth was brought within inches of his face. Areli bared his large teeth, and sniffed.
Titus opened his eyes as his hair was tossed with the breath of the Wendigo. It circled its long neck around, and sniffed Titus where his neck met his shoulder. He pulled back and stared at Titus with curious eyes. It lowered its head, and growled.
“Merek...?” Titus asked.
“I don’t know! He’s never done anything like this.” The prince said, just as lost as Titus. Titus looked down at the sword protruding from Areli’s chest and bit his lip.
“Is that going to hurt him?” He asked.
“I don’t know. They’re kind of hard to kill.” The prince said, not all that worried about Areli. He was more concerned for the people Areli got his hands on. Through the bright glowing red eyes, he thought he saw a flicker of Areli’s real self.
“I think....I think Areli is fighting for control.” Titus whispered.
“Can he? He’s never had control in this form before...” Merek whispered too, as if Areli would snap at any minute, which he surely could.
“Areli? Can you hear me, love?” Titus asked, a little louder and directed at the behemoth before him. The Wendigo took a deep breath, before roaring loudly in Titus’ face. But once the roar subsided, he did nothing else.
“Does that mean yes?” Merek whispered. Titus swallowed.
“We have to get you out of here.” Titus whispered, not losing eye contact with the Wendigo.
“I don’t know if you noticed, but Areli ate the keys.” Merek hissed.
“Fuck.” Titus cursed. “We’ll have to break it.” Titus stood, the Wendigo watching him as he moved. He grabbed a fallen sword, and began trying to break the chain. He sighed when there was barely even a dent. Titus stopped, sighing and wiping sweat from his forehead. He looked around for another option and his eyes landed on the Wendigo that still followed his every move.
“Want to give me a hand here?” Titus nodded at the chain. The Wendigo growled when Titus spoke to it, but did nothing else. “Okay, so maybe control is a loose term.” Titus sighed.
“From the looks of it, he’s barely holding on. You need to go. Get him somewhere safe.” The prince said, but as he spoke Titus could see fire in the distance.
“Merek...” Titus whispered. Merek turned his head, to see a large mob of townspeople heading their way fast. The Wendigo turned as well, and howled loudly.
“Shut up, Shut up!” Titus, without thinking, moved to silenced the Wendigo. His hands wrapped around his large jaws, but the beast only growled and tried to pull its head out of Titus’ hands.
“They’ll kill him, Titus. Get him out of here!” The prince shouted.
“And what will become of you, if I leave you?” Titus began trying to break the chains again.
“That doesn’t matter, you have to take care of Areli!” The prince put a hand on Titus’ shoulder, before taking a kiss from one of his two loves. Titus returned the kiss and held onto the prince for a few moments longer.
“As soon as he’s safe, I’m coming back for you.” Titus whispered.
“I know.” The prince said, but wasn’t sure if he would be around to be rescued.
Titus grabbed the chain dangling from Areli’s neck and pulled, hard.
“Come on.” He tugged. The three of them knew that four men probably couldn’t pull the Wendigo somewhere it didn’t want to go. But whatever small amount of control Areli had over the beast, he used then. The Wendigo lumbered behind Titus as he pulled him towards the forest. Suddenly, he caught sight of an animal, and took off into the forest, dragging Titus behind him on his stomach. The prince watched them leave, and swallowed as he turned back to the angry mob that awaited him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The prince stared down at the ground sadly, his hands tied in front of his body. The noose dangled around his neck lazily as the priest prayed for him. The executioner wasn’t far away, waiting to pull the lever that would drop the platform, ending Merek’s life.
The prince had no regrets. He had died protecting Areli, and that’s how he wanted it. As long as Areli was safe, he was happy. For a long time he believed he was the only one who could keep Areli safe, but now he realized that he didn’t have a choice. Titus would be the one protecting Areli now.
Guards drummed a steady beat, the sound of an execution. The king stood by sadly, looking down at his son from the balcony. There was nothing but disgrace in his eyes. The prince shut his eyes as the executioner placed his hand on the lever. The crowd cheered as their prince was prepared to be executed for putting his kingdom in danger. The prince sighed, believing he was taking his last breath. He felt more than saw the executioner put his other hand on the lever and prepare to pull. Suddenly, the heavy sounds of hoof beats flooded his ears. The crowd gasped as the galloping hooves grew closer, and the squeaking of the handle being pulled filled the air. The prince took a deep breath, more out of fear than trying to preserve his own life. He felt a strange vibration on the wooden floor of the gallows, and then he felt the empty space beneath his feet as the trap door was dropped. He fell, but only a few inches before a strong arm was wrapped around his waist. The rope tugged at his neck, and he couldn’t breath, but his neck hadn’t been broken.
He opened his eyes, and couldn’t help but smile through the tears as he sat Titus’ face. He sat astride the large black stallion, holding Merek up above the noose as best he could. Merek tossed and turned his neck, finally slipping out of the noose, and Titus through him onto the back of the horse.
He kicked at the horse, who jumped off the gallows, and they were gone in seconds. The mob behind them stood there for a stunned moment, before they began crying out in rage. A few chased them, guards fired arrows from the towers of the castle, but they were long gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“It took you bloody long enough.” Merek swore, tugging at the ropes around his wrists.
“I’m sorry, I was worried about leaving Areli. He felt so bad about biting me.” TItus said. Merek looked down at his arm, and saw that Areli had done a lot of damage. Titus held it to his side carefully, and couldn’t move that hand on that arm much anymore. Merek wondered if it would ever be able to work the same. Titus pulled a knife from his belt, and cut the ties on the princes’ wrists.
“Speak of the devil...” Merek murmured. Areli poked his head out from behind a nearby tree. He smiled when Merek opened his arms and buried his face in Merek’s chest.
“My prince! I was worried...” He whispered, blushing.
“No need to worry, pet. Everything’s alright now....Isn’t it?” He looked between them.
“I have a friend in another kingdom. A kingdom with a harbor. We’ll make our way there and catch a ship, we can't stay here.” Titus said.
“A ship? How are we going to keep Areli safe on a ship?” Merek asked.
“After that night, he’s learned to control himself better. He’s not in complete control when he changes, but I’m sure he can manage to keep the Wendigo quiet for a few days while we sail.” Titus said. Areli smiled and nodded.
“And what then? We have no money, no home. We won't even be able to keep the horse.” Merek sighed, sitting down on a rock. Titus was silent, knowing the prince was right.
“We have each other, and that’s all I want.” Areli said, face serious. Titus and Merek looked up at him skeptically.
“I’m afraid everything doesn’t work that way, Love.” Titus brushed Areli’s cheek with his good hand.
“We’ll make it work. The three of us are unstoppable as far as I’m concerned.” Areli raised his chin.
“A stable master, an exiled prince, and a Wendigo...” Titus began.
“Walked into a bar?” The prince raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, I’ve heard this one.” Areli smiled. The three laughed and Titus and Areli sat down next to their prince.
“We’ll make it.” The prince said.
“I know.” Areli nodded.
“Both of you are insane. Get on the horse.” Titus climbed onto the stallion. The prince hopped on back, and Areli walked beside them. After awhile, they switched.
All of them were silent, trying to keep their minds off of what lie ahead of them. Only focusing on what they had been through, who they had met, and what their future life could be like.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)